Unrivaled Eternal Bromance Eclipsing The Nine Heavens
by righteousfangyuan
Summary: Because Bros don't let each other wander the dark alone.
1. Chapter 1

The Nine Heavens. Amongst a sea of clouds. The Wind and Thunder Platform. A single piece of sky.

Here, was the Continent of The Nine Heavens. The Upper Three Heavens. An extremely perilous area, the Wind and Thunder Platform!

Whilst on it, one could reach for the winds and thunder, and its only exit was the single piece of sky!

However, at that moment, there was instead nothing but foul wind and a fog of misery on the Wind and Thunder Platform!

"Naruto, hand over the Nine Tribulations Sword! We will spare you from death!"

"Naruto, you are already on the verge of death, just hand over the Nine Tribulations Sword. The others and I can leave you a complete corpse!"

"Naruto, the Nine Tribulations Sword, such a godly item that is ranked first under the Heavens, is completely wasted in your hands. How many years has it been that you have shown no improvement? That heavenly item is absolutely wasted on you! Just hand it over."

Shouts of clamoring voices came from all directions.

At the center of the Wind and Thunder Platform was a slightly protruding piece of large rock. On that rock, Naruto was wearing a black piece of shirt. His entire body was bathed in blood, and his hair loosely disheveled. However, his face appeared unconcerned, and his eyes remained cool and collected like a piece of rock! His body — Upright and straight like a spear!

Similar to the sword within his hand, he was filled with an unyielding intent!

Even though he was already mortally wounded!

Beneath his feet, within a radius of several hundred miles, there were countless limbs and body pieces that were dripping with blood.

He looked at the surrounding group of experts who were only shouting, but were not rushing over. Naruto's face revealed the hint of a cynical smile, filled with arrogance and disdain!

Faced against that sea of experts, even though he was completely surrounded with no means of escape, his haughtiness still continued to soar!

Those people were all aware of the situation. They knew that he was already on his last legs, but none dared to approach. When faced against an attack that would cause them both to perish together, no one was willing to become that scapegoat. They could only hope that someone who sought death would blindly charge in, but no one was stupid enough to do so. That was why, at that moment, they had unanimously stopped their advance and stayed their hands.

That kind of people, with that kind of mentality, even if their levels of martial cultivation were higher, even if their numbers were to increase; Even if they could kill me ten thousand times, they were also not worthy of being my enemies!

Naruto continued to smile cynically, then slowly began to sit down. The expression on his face remained indifferent, and his lips continued to remain silent. However, instead, his mind was filled with doubt.

How did the matter regarding the Nine Tribulations Sword being in his possession got disclosed out?

He had clearly investigated for a total of three years before ascertaining that there was a fragment which belonged to the Ninth Tribulation Sword within the Wind and Thunder Platform at the Upper Three Heavens. After spending untold hardships, he had finally found a chance and risked a gamble that had a one in ten chance of survival to arrive at the Upper Three Heavens. However, why did he encounter such a massive ambush after his arrival there?

On that day, it was only the fifth day since he had entered the Upper Three Heavens! Moreover, he encountered that ambush at the moment when he had just found the Wind and Thunder Platform!

On that day, the only result would be the result of his death!

He was all along famous for his secretive whereabouts, so who knew his plans?

He had continuously charged forward for more than ten times, but he was blocked and pushed back every single time! Meanwhile, all of the places that he had chosen became dead ends! According to common sense, there was absolutely no reason for him to be unable to charge a path out!

Who was the person who understood his habits to such a degree? Who was that secret enemy?

That question had already puzzled Naruto for a long time.

The blade of the Nine Tribulations Sword flashed and reflected the sun's rays from the sky above, painting a rainbow in the middle of the air. Everyone who witnessed that scene felt their desires burning, and could not wait to have that godly item in their grasp.

Higher Ancient Godly Item! A godly item that was ranked first on the Continent of The Nine Heavens!

Whoever obtained the Nine Tribulations Sword would be invincible under the Heavens! That 'being invincible under the Heavens' was the huge secret within the Nine Tribulations Sword! According to legends, the power of the Nine Tribulations Sword was not only limited to that.

Nine Tribulations of The Nine Heavens, a single sword to destroy the world; To reign supreme for a thousand autumns until eternity, exceeding the Heavens beyond The Nine Heavens!

That was the only sentence of the ballad passed down throughout the world regarding the Nine Tribulations Sword. Its origins could no longer be traced. The Nine Tribulations Sword had always been only a legend. No one expected that the Nine Tribulations Sword would one day actually appear right before them.

…

Naruto also had a doubt. The Nine Tribulations Sword. Correct, he had obtained the Nine Tribulations Sword. Moreover, step by step, he had found five fragments of the sword. However, to his disappointment, he had also discovered that the power of the Nine Tribulations Sword was also not as great as he had imagined! Furthermore, there was always a clear gap between the Nine Tribulations Sword and him. No matter if he had poured fresh blood over it, or how much he attempted to perceive it through sincerity, there was not even the slightest effect. Why was that so?

Why? Why?!

His utmost emotions, the pinnacle sword! He had destroyed his emotions and immersed in the sword, then from the Way of the Sword immersed in the Way of Martial Arts, and from the Way of Martial Arts sought the Way of the Heavens. The price he paid was a life of loneliness, and he led a life filled with killing as his believed way of life. Unfortunately, in the end, he still did not manage to master the Nine Tribulations Sword, and therefore did not manage to master the Art of The Nine Heavens!

Was the choice he made wrong? Or was that path definitely a mistake? Or could it be said… that his lack of emotions was still insufficient to satisfy the Nine Tribulations Sword?

Emotionless swordsman, emotionless swordsman, if a swordsman had emotions, how could he still be considered a swordsman? The Way of the Sword, the Way of Martial Arts, the Way of the Heavens, they all lacked emotions in the end… However, why were his emotions wavering at the current moment between life and death?

Nine Tribulations Sword, ah, Nine Tribulations Sword, what exactly is your secret?!

Looking at the surrounding stares of greediness towards the Nine Tribulations Sword, Naruto secretly gave a bitter laugh. All of you only knew that obtaining this Nine Tribulations Sword would make you invincible under the Heavens, but do all of you know how much have I sacrificed for this Nine Tribulations Sword?

I have already nothing left.

The red and graceful figure of a person seemed to flash within his mind, and it became clearer and clearer. Slowly, a pair of red sleeves were raised lightly and swayed. From somewhere, a fleeting music seemed to begin playing, while that lithe and graceful figure slowly began to dance amidst the dreamlike surroundings…

The focus in Naruto's eyes suddenly became distant with a sense of loss, filled with sorrow…

Fresh blood flowed, and Naruto clearly felt his own life quickly slipping away. He had pursued Martial Arts all his life. Going into a relationship, breaking a relationship, getting out of a relationship, as well as destroying his emotions after becoming emotionless. At that very moment, on the verge of his death, he had originally thought that his only regret should be that he did not achieve the martial domain level of supremacy that he pursued all his life, while he was alive. However, what he had never thought was, at that moment, that very point of time, a figure he originally thought that he had long since forgotten, had instead actually appeared within his mind's consciousness.

Ah, that beautiful figure clad in luxurious and fluttering red clothes, that turning to look back, the curl of that body… those were all excellent expressions. Lightly, nimbly, and gracefully, his mind began to sing and dance. Every single time the figure turned back to look at him, that gaze carried with it passion that was as deep as the sea.

Hinata, the woman who had caused Naruto to enter into a relationship, as well as breaking that relationship!

"So, I never did really break that relationship…" Naruto muttered to himself, the edges of his mouth revealed the hint of a self-deprecating smile.

In his mind, a hint of remorse quietly began to diffuse. Like smoke, it immediately engulfed his entire soul.

At that very moment, he could no longer control his mind, nor did he also want to control it…

Hinata! If I were to head to the netherworld now, would it be possible to meet up with you?

Hinata, did you know, when I had initially practiced the Three Tribulations of Emotional Destruction Slash to leave you, how much had I regretted that…

Naruto's mind was filled with a sour sense of loss…

"Everybody attack together! Completely chop him up! As for the Nine Tribulations Sword, it will not be too late for us to slowly negotiate later!" One man gave a loud shout. "Otherwise, if he is given time to recover, it will become our turn to suffer a huge loss!"

From the surroundings, the large crowd of people gave loud shouts of agreement, then immediately raised their swords and sabers as one, and moved towards Naruto while surrounding him.

Naruto remained sitting in a trance, unmoving, the gaze of his eyes seemed to be looking at somewhere else ahead of him. As if filled with a deep sense of bleakness that had remained unchanged since ancient times, the strands of hair that were stained with blood floated before his forehead…

The dance of that person within his mind's consciousness became even more intense, and had already become a group of red shadows, indefinitely fleeting, but were instead weaving a boundless sky of red silk. At the same time, a graceful and dreary voice slowly began singing from amidst the red shadows…

"A lifetime is not a gentle dance,

a dance is a lifetime of bitterness;

I will dance for you in this lifetime,

bitter or not I will dance a lifetime!"

…

That was her pledge of love, a little poem that Hinata had created. He could still remember that moment when Hinata had tears in her eyes, her gaze filled with melancholy and resentment. She… had long knew that he had made use of her emotions to practice his martial skills. However, like moths drawn to a flame, she had instead thrown herself into his arms, and had allowed him to burn as he pleased!

Ah, that girl of pure heart and spirit… As Naruto wistfully thought of her, his heart could not help but feel sour. At the very end of his life, did he only know the preciousness of true feelings… but for himself, he could no longer turn back…

He could still remember, that final time when Hinata was rejected by him. With a wounded heart and broken spirit, in a distracted state of restlessness, there was an attack on her way back home, and the young woman of peerless beauty finally passed away like a diminishing fragrance.

When he received the news and had immediately rushed over, he was still a single step too late at the very end. Although he had later killed the entire family of the people who had harmed Hinata, not sparing even the nine generations of that clan's chickens and dogs, the beautiful girl could not come back to life!

At the moment before her death, that woman of peerless beauty had gently laid in his arms. She had said to him, "Naruto, should there be another life… should I meet you once more, I hope that you will carefully… take a look at me. I look nicer than a sword!"

"Naruto, to be able to die in your arms, I am very satisfied…" Those were the last words of Hinata…

Hinata, you were not satisfied. You had regrets. Otherwise, why would you have tears at the corners of your eyes? On the face of the beautiful girl who had already taken her last breath, two clear droplets of tears suddenly dropped… She had forcibly pretended to put on a smile on her deathbed, afraid that he would be hurt… that was how wretched…

Two droplets of clear tears, had instead at that very moment smashed and shattered his heart! From then on, his heart would be covered in dust!

Drifting lightly like a dream,

Demons danced in a sea of blood and on a mountain of bones;

A gentleman does not question the warring swords within a thousand Li,

Together forever through Life and Death unto the Highest Heaven!

That was a poem specially created by Senior Frost, the gifted scholar who was then ranked first under the Heavens, in response to the deep feelings Hinata had for Naruto.

While at the moment, Hinata, you have already arrived at the Highest Heaven, yet I instead remain in the Mortal Realm… but, I am soon able to be with you together forever through Life and Death… through generations after generations!

Naruto was lost in his thoughts, and the usually cold and hardened edges of his lips displayed the hint of a warm and gentle, tragic smile. The hair that was stained with blood began to float amongst the wind…

Hinata, wait for me!

Hinata, did you know, should there be another life, I'd rather not practice whatever Way of the Sword, rather not want to be at whatever pinnacle, rather not have revenge, and would rather be with you! In this world, was there anything worth that satisfied smile of yours? No!

The graceful dance and songs within his mind's consciousness became increasingly distant, and Hinata's voice seemed to also become increasingly fleeting. "I will dance for you in this lifetime… I will dance for you through the generations… Even if my heart is bent a thousand times, it will never change… Even if I were to die ten thousand times, I will not feel bitter… not feel bitter…"

*Shua* A golden blade cut through the wind and came towards him from the front. Whilst still in a trance, Naruto casually blocked with his sword. His mind was still listening to Hinata's voice from somewhere… This life is already ending. Ah, Hinata, before my death, let me hear more of your voice…

Not bitter… Hinata, you were bitter, but instead did not feel bitter. At this moment… I am very bitter! Filled with regret!

The number of sabres and swords added to the bodies became more and more, fresh blood flew little by little, and bit by bit, pain began to focus on the various parts of his entire body. Finally, the songs and dance within the mind's consciousness had been broken!

Naruto furiously gave a long shout! He suddenly stood up, his long, black coloured hair rose and flew about intensely! His hair-band broke! He began to rage hysterically!

Even at the final moments of my life, all of you came to interrupt our reunion! You all deserve to die!

*Peng* A sword pierced through Naruto's chest. Naruto felt a momentary pain, and lowered his head to take a look. *Pa* The piece of jade pendant that hung around his neck shattered before his eyes. At the center of the jade pendant, a single "Wu" character quietly began to break into pieces…

Naruto blankly reached out a hand to touch, his hand grabbing fragments. All of a sudden, he became extremely furious!

Ah, that was the only keepsake Hinata had left for him!

"Kill!" Naruto suddenly rose his head, the intent to kill wildly surged within his eyes. With a crazed shout, the Nine Tribulations Sword within his hand suddenly waved, giving off ten thousand rays of light. It was as if lightning from The Nine Heavens had suddenly chained to form a waist-band of light!

*Pengpengpangpang* The sounds momentarily rang out, and all the weapons that were surrounding near him had a length neatly cut off!

Everyone hurriedly retreated back and frightfully looked at the tidy circle of weapons that were cut into half beneath Naruto's feet. Cold sweat oozed and dripped down their backs. They had never thought that the power of a single attack from the Nine Tribulations Sword would actually be that horrifying!

They had originally thought that Naruto was already close to death, convinced that it was exactly the moment to be daring. Every single person was secretly planning, that after Naruto's death, how should they handle the Nine Tribulations Sword? How would they seize it? If it had fallen into their own hands, how would they escape? Just as every single person was urgently contemplating countermeasures, Naruto had instead suddenly raised his sword! Moreover, its power had been that great!

That was greatly beyond their expectations!

Naruto's body was bathed in blood, and he was wielding his sword while standing upright. His eyes watched the group of people before him with a gaze as cold as ice, looking over them one by one. No matter whose face his gaze rested on, that person's entire body would uncontrollably tremble momentarily.

Within those pair of eyes, they only felt endless grief, endless despair, endless rage, and… endless killing intent!

After Naruto had looked an entire round, he suddenly questioned in a soft voice, "All of you want the Nine Tribulations Sword?"

Not waiting for anyone's answer, he began to give a cold and stern laugh, and said, "All right! I will let all of you take a look at the Nine Tribulations Sword!"

Suddenly, he gave an abrupt leap!

He had already suffered countless fatal injuries, yet he actually leapt! In the middle of the air, blood from the wounds all over his entire body danced like a whirlwind and splattered about, but he was instead indifferent. With a grave facial expression, he gave a cold shout.

"Nine Tribulations Sword, a few rays of chilling light illuminates ten thousand miles!"

The Nine Tribulations Sword waved. Like a bolt of unfurling white silk, a single ray of white light changed into an arc and shot out! Following behind the arc, ten million rays of chilling light surged forth! Those ten million rays of chilling light seemed to bring with them the Heavens and Earth's most ancient desolation…

Nine Tribulations Sword! Sword techniques of The Nine Heavens! The First Sword!

The Nine Heavens, was the name of that continent. Since history, of all the sword techniques, none had ever dared to use those three words as its name. However, that Nine Tribulations Sword's sword techniques instead, directly used the name "The Nine Heavens"!

Throughout the ages, those sword techniques were the only set!

Although Naruto could not exactly exert the true power of the Nine Tribulations Sword's sword techniques, he had already perceived those few sword techniques for a very long time. The powers of those few sword techniques might not be as great as he had imagined, but they also exceeded all worldly sword techniques.

The surrounding several tens of experts instinctively knew that sword technique was nothing trivial, and could not help but brought forth their treasured abilities, endeavouring to withstand against that single attack! The bodies of every single person shook, and they all felt that they could almost no longer hold onto their weapons steadily.

"Nine Tribulations Sword, why not kill all under the Heavens!"

The first stroke was unfinished, yet the second stroke had already descended murderously! The surging rays of light was like a rising tide of the sea, boundless killing intent spread across the skies and covered the earth, violently shooting out! Miserable screams rang out. Ten or so experts, who could each individually dominate an entire place, had all tried their utmost to resist, but instead still had their entire bodies splattered with blood, and awkwardly retreated!

At that moment, every single person had a misconception: The Naruto of that moment was absolutely uninjured! He was definitely at his peak condition!

They instead did not know, that they had interrupted Naruto's memories and broken Hinata's song and dance, making Naruto completely furious, thoroughly exerting forth his entire body's potential! That was the strength of life, wrath of the soul! That strength even exceeded when he was in his prime condition by far!

"Nine Tribulations Sword, majesty is a single gathering of wind and clouds!"

Naruto wickedly gave a loud laugh. Amidst the waving movements of the Nine Tribulations Sword, a huge majestic crown actually seemed to appear! Its magnificent sense of pressure spread across the skies and covered the earth! From the sword, wherever rays of light had pointed, miserable screams would be heard in succession, and arrows of blood flew. One by one, the heads of people tumbled down from their necks, as if a cart of rotten watermelons had been knocked over…

With the descent of a conqueror, common people under the Heavens will be slaughtered by me as I please! Following my whims, I take and destroy!

"Nine Tribulations Sword! Sever the overwhelming emotions of the guest in the Mortal World!"

"Nine Tribulations Sword! An everlasting fragrance from a mountain of corpses and sea of blood!"

With those three strokes in succession, the surface of the ground that had been dyed red with fresh blood once again became a slaughterhouse of an Asura! Without any exception, all of those several tens of people who had surrounded and attacked, were completely lying within the pool of blood!

Naruto staggered and fell! He arrogantly gazed at the surroundings with disdain. Looking at the several tens of yards around him, there was already no one left standing! Those who were once experts, those who were once brilliant and glorious, before the Nine Tribulations Sword's peerless powers under the Heavens and Earth, they had completely become numerous corpses on the ground!

To think of wanting the Nine Tribulations Sword? Are all of you… even worthy?!

However, after that outburst, Naruto was also already, completely, close to death!

"Hinata, no matter if it is in the Heavens or on the Mortal Realm, who can obstruct our meeting?!" Supported by his sword, he stood up and gasped for breath, while taking a short respite. His eyes were instead lightly closed. He was looking forward to once again seeing those songs and dance within his mind's consciousness. However, they were not there!

Naruto suddenly opened his eyes, and gave a low growl, "Why? Why are you not there? Hinata…"

Afar, from three different directions, three rays of light soared at the same time, and took the form of three golden colored silhouettes in the air! Magnificently dazzling, they carried with them a violent presence that was overwhelming powerful and arrogant.

Phantoms of golden light, kings of their designated areas!

Those three golden colored silhouettes represented that three Martial Artist Kings had made an appearance!

Naruto's pupils shrunk, and he gave a bitter laugh while looking powerlessly at the three golden colored silhouettes in the air, his heart completely as cold as ice. He had never thought, that his opponent's true killing stroke would only come out until that very moment!

He was only a Revered Martial Artist, and was only one level away from King Rank. However, that one level, was instead no different from the distance between the Heavens and Earth!

Three Martial Artist Kings, what a large involvement!

"What good swordsmanship, definitely worth of being the Poisonous Sword Revered Martial Artist! However, this Upper Three Heavens is instead not the place where you, a mere Poisonous Sword Revered Martial Artist, can behave atrociously!" One of the men said gently, "It is just a pity that I am unable to fight a fair battle with you. What a deep regret!"

Following that speech, the remaining two people appeared together. Those three people were all dressed in wide robes with large sleeves, those sleeves fluttering along with the wind. Their attitudes were elegant and smart, and their facial expressions were calm.

Naruto's gaze was already a little blurred. "Three of you Martial Artist Kings… also think of wanting the Nine Tribulations Sword?"

"Wrong, we are not exactly thinking of wanting the Nine Tribulations Sword. Instead, we are thinking to let you die!" Those three people gave a slight smile at the same time, their attitudes serious. "However, incidentally taking the Nine Tribulations Sword can also be considered as an unexpected harvest. A large harvest!"

Naruto momentarily gave a cold and arrogant smile. He straightened his spine, and arrogantly said, "It is only a pity that all of you do not understand the Nine Tribulations Sword! All of you will never obtain it!"

His gaze changed and became decisive, absolute and natural!

At that moment, he already did not have the strength for another battle!

However, instead, he could still issue forth one final attack! Destroy!

Destroy himself, destroy the Nine Tribulations Sword! Destroy the enemies!

The sword gave off a glint of light. Naruto had violently reversed the Nine Tribulations Sword, and violently thrust it into his own heart! With a pair of emotionless eyes looking at the three people in the air, he shouted, "With the blood of my heart, ten thousand tribulations will collapse! As master of the Nine Tribulations Sword, all opposites will transpose!"

That was the only sword technique which he was able to completely exert the full power of the sword. When he had initially seen the sword verse, he just knew that was the only one sword technique that he was able to perform. However, that kind of sword technique, instead required him to use his own life to initiate!

That kind of sword technique, who would dare to use?

When that sword technique was used, the person performing it would die!

The Nine Tribulations Sword suddenly began to flare violently, and it was as if a sun had appeared in the middle of the air. Keen sword energy suddenly burst forth violently. That wild and fierce energy had actually launched Naruto's entire body into the middle of the air!

That was the ultimate move of the Nine Tribulations Sword! To use the blood of his own heart and to sacrifice his soul, then excite the sword's soul! However, that was still the absolute move to perish together with the enemy! That one move was even capable of executing opponents that were a long stronger than him by a few levels!

That was still the Nine Tribulations Sword's Soul independently killing people, destroying everything!

"Back!" Those three Martial Artist Kings were extremely shocked, and they rapidly fled towards the outside! Compared to the calm expression that they had during the time when they had arrived, it was a huge difference! Those graceful, elegant and smart bearings had long since disappeared without leaving any trace!

They had never expected, that Poisonous Sword Revered Martial Artist would actually be capable of stimulating that one move!

*Hong* A brilliant and incandescent ray of light emanated from the sword rose into the sky, reflecting throughout the entire sky and changing it into a silver-white color!

Those three Martial Artist Kings, as if they did not even have the time to take their stances, nor even the time to issue forth their miserable screams, were simply destroyed and turned into smoke and flying dust!

Moreover, even the golden silhouettes that were formed from their King Ranked energies still remained flashing in the air. However, their lives, had instead already became nothingness!

That one attack from the Nine Tribulations Sword's Sword Soul had, within the range of its energy, even directly destroyed the Heavens and Earth, not to mention only three Martial Artist Kings.

Naruto suddenly felt quite humorous, and unintentionally gave a bitter smile. Unless, the secret behind the invincibility of that Nine Tribulations Sword was that? Then, what value did the godly item that was ranked first on the continent still have?

However, he vaguely felt that it should not be such. Yet, he already did not have the chance to unearth the true secret behind the Nine Tribulations Sword…

Naruto gave an audible sigh. While his body was still in the middle of the air, his eyes momentarily skimmed at random, and instead discovered someone whom he believed should absolutely not have appeared there.

From afar, a single man in white clothes was looking with astonishment at his direction, his face completely filled with disbelief.

"Toneri!?" Naruto's gaze momentarily straightened, and he finally understood. Why was his secretive movements actually ambushed by people, why was his every attack carefully intercepted by people!

No wonder. It was him. God of the Abacus and the Ghost of Calculations, Toneri.

It was no wonder that he had suffered such a crushing defeat!

Naruto thought of giving a miserable laugh, thought of ridiculing himself, thought of… However, in the end, he did not do anything. He had already lost all of his strength, and he was also too late to consider…

Naruto's body gradually dropped from the sky, gradually fell downwards, and like a drifting dead leaf during late autumn, fell onto the dirt. His face carried a faint but warm smile, and muttered, "Hinata, should there be another life, we will dance under the Heavens!"

Since he could not avoid death, then with his greatest passion and deepest yearning, he would embrace death! That was because, over there, waited his beloved!

From somewhere, snow fell and swirled from the wide skies, while the very earth was dressed and wrapped in silver. Seemingly on a boundless piece of ground covered with pure-white snow, a graceful and red colored figure began to dance lightly, as if welcoming him, and also as if she was anxious for Naruto. Her face could not be seen clearly, but that gently bound gaze which was free from regret and resentment, and filled with deep passion, was instead very clear… Those dance movements were graceful, becoming increasingly intense, and the highest level of the Heavens and deepest recess of the Earth continuously danced, but they were all actually melancholic and cold like fresh blood…

Somewhere near Naruto's heart, the tip of the Nine Tribulations Sword suddenly gave off a dazzling radiance, and it was actually, magnificently dazzling for people to behold!

Naruto, with his eyes already closed, seemed to hear a fleeting voice from somewhere, carrying with it weariness and joy, as if it had waited with a kind of heavy burden for thousands of years. In a low tone, it seemed to have said, "…The Nine Tribulations have become empty, life and death are still calm; The blue skies can still be mended, why should you look forward to a next life… Ai, it finally came…"

Within that voice, those short twenty-eight words actually seemed as if they had experienced countless drastic changes, as if those changes had always been kept beyond its reach…

Then, from the location of his heart, a dazzling radiance shot out and rose from the ground. It flashed in the middle of the sky, suddenly scattering and creating glaring rainbows all over the skies, illuminating the entire Heavens and Earth together! People who saw that scene widened their eyes as if they were blind!

However, with just that single flash, it directly soared towards the Highest Heaven, then instantly disappearing without a shadow or any trace…

On the Wind and Thunder Platform, the winds whimpered, as if weeping and complaining, as if they still repeated that one sentence which Naruto had said — Should there be another life… should there be another life… we, will, dance, under, the, Heavens…


	2. Chapter 2

"Hinata!" Naruto violently woke up. He still had not opened his eyes, yet he gave a painful and heartfelt cry. He felt his own heart twitching, that it ached, but its sound was weak as if it was groaning, and it was as if he could not even hear it…

After those words had left his mouth, Naruto was instead momentarily stunned!

I… had clearly seen Hinata coming to receive me, that familiar and pleasant smile, those tender emotions that had already seeped into the bone marrow…

Yet… what is this?

Before his eyes, there were unlimited mountain rocks, and at the skyline, the setting sun was like blood. Swaying and rustling green bamboos were in all directions, as if causing the horizon's purple evening glow to whirl, rippling amongst the breeze, rising one wave at a time…

Beside his legs, there was still a patch of blood.

A severe pain was sent from the top of his head, and he reached out a hand to touch it. The entire hand was a complete dark red.

That mountain, that rock, that scenery, that wound, they were actually that familiar!

Where is this place?

A voice beside his ear, carrying with it a tone that seemed as if it was about to cry, said, "Hey… please… please don't scare me, I, I… I am such a handsome and dashing person, ah, I cannot take scares…"

Naruto was secretly, momentarily confused. He thought, Unless, I really still have not died? However, who is this guy shouting beside my ear? He really is quite of the finest grade. Clearly, he is about to be scared to death, but he actually still has not forgotten to be narcissistic…

When it seemed that he did not get any response, that person once again cried out, "Really… no longer breathing? Wu…" That crying sound was instead like a train's whistle. If someone from afar was to hear it, he or she would definitely think that there was a hungry wolf howling *Ao~~~*.

The sound lasted long and loud, and it reverberated melodiously. There was actually a faint echo. It was just that the echo instead became *Ao~~~* …

Really talented. Naruto secretly thought. He could also tell from hearing it. That sound was absolutely filled with fright and sorrow, and it could not be faked; However, that sound… really made it hard for people to boast.

It was as if the Heavens had made a mistake when creating him, and had used a duck's throat on his body instead. Moreover, it was also a drake…

Probably, upon completion, the Heavens once again felt that something was not quite right, and had therefore made a compensation — By also borrowing half the throat of a wolf…

That sound, ah, seemed quite familiar… That kind of sound was absolutely too unique! Naruto felt his heart shudder momentarily, and memories from long ago suddenly rushed into his mental consciousness…

"It was only just practicing rod techniques, there is no need for you to be knocked dead by me in a single strike just like this right?" That voice was trembling, and it was obviously terrified, "… they had all struck you that many times with the rod without any problems. Why is it that when I had only struck you once with the rod, you sagged forward and leant onto me… This, this… this is god, damned unfair! Unless, just because you see that I have grown to become handsome and dashing, that you grew jealous and decide to intentionally victimize me huh?"

Naruto was at a loss for words.

Who is that person? To even still be complaining… It is also all right for him to be complaining, after all, no one is also willing to meet with that sort of incident, right? It is just that, even while complaining, he unexpectedly also did not forget to praise himself with a few sentences…

To be narcissistic until such a stage, that was already enough to shock the Heavens and Earth while causing ghosts and gods to cry!

With a groan, Naruto finally forced his eyes open. He could no longer ignore it. Even if Naruto was the Poisonous Sword Revered Martial Artist of one generation, he also could not tolerate that voice.

That voice, as if mixed from the howl of a wolf that had been hungry for a long time with a little hoarse, throaty sound belonging to a drake… there was no need to mention a person, but even a tiger would also collapse after listening to it for a long time…

"You woke up, you woke up, wahaha, I just knew it. You were actually shocked and stunned by my smart looks, and it wasn't that you had fainted and collapsed…" That voice continued to ravage Naruto's ears, "It was just like what I had said huh. Why was it that while we were having a good time sparring, you actually began to stare at my face without looking away… so it was like that!"

Naruto frowned. His brain was still in a turbulent sea of pain. With a soft voice, he shouted, "Shut up!" He absolutely could not tolerate it any more. If you are to say two more sentences, I might as well stab my heart two more times and be done with it. After all, I am already a person who have died once, yet I still have to suffer the torture of your horrifying voice. Does this still make any natural sense huh? Even in death, I am not allowed to be at peace…

Are there any morals left in the world…

Although his voice was low, it was instead filled with dignity, and that overwhelming disposition of the Poisonous Sword Revered Martial Artist dissipated outwards unseen. Deterred by the harshness contained within those two short words, that relentlessly chattering fellow was actually dumbfounded, and could not speak.

Naruto violently forced his eyes open, but instead found the sunlight before his eyes to be glaring, and a chaotic burst of golden stars momentarily flooded his vision. He could only once again shut his eyes, and then slowly pried them open…

Presented before him, was a human face. Yes, and he was also that person who was interestingly forceful in praising himself to be handsome and dashing. Correct. With the exception of Naruto and him at that place, there wasn't a third person.

However, when Naruto saw that face, his heart was immediately filled with a sense of intimacy, and at the same time, he did not know whether to cry or laugh. To actually use the phrase 'handsome and smart' on that person, he sincerely felt as if 'resources were unwittingly being destroyed'!

That face was absolutely ugly!

Both of his eyes were large, while his nose was straight and prominent. His mouth was small, and he also had a pair of dashing eyebrows. Moreover, his face was white and fair, and he was neither fat nor thin.

However, the most bizarre features were that, although his eyes were large and filled with vigor, the distance between both eyes were instead quite a far apart. One eye seemed as if it was just beside his left ear, while the other eye… and his right ear were neighbors.

His eyebrows were naturally dashing; they were straight while slanting outwards. It was just that, although they were like two swords, one of the swords pierced the Heavens while the other sword instead severed Hell itself — their directions were actually, completely opposite!

His nose was also very straight and prominent. It was just… that nose was also a little too straight and prominent. The bridge of his nose was like a mountain range, and actually separated both eyes apart!

It was just like the Milky Way, separating the Weaver Girl and the Cowherd apart, forcing them to look at each other from afar. Those kind of eyes, even if they were to become cross eyed and look at each other… ah, it would also be quite hard.

His mouth was also very small, such that it was even very rosy. However, having a small, cherry lipped mouth on the face of a man… especially on the face of this kind of man…

It was just like a dish — A piece of snow-white tofu, with a completely red cherry placed above it…

That kind of appearance, to say that it had character… that already could not be used to describe it! That appearance simply had too much character, such that there should be no others anywhere else in the world!

Ah… whoever could find such a similar person, Naruto felt that he would simply worship the finder. That difficulty was too great.

"Rock Lee?" Naruto's entire body felt numb and sore. He also felt as if there were several knives violently churning within his mental consciousness, and his head felt as if it was about to burst. However, he instead strongly controlled himself, and revealed a gentle smile. "Rock Lee, you are still this talkative and narcissistic! That is super abnormal!"

That person was a good childhood friend Naruto's, the Younger Martial Brother Rock Lee.

Rock Lee was Naruto's buddy, and both were orphans, or rather, abandoned. Their Teacher had found them and raised them up. When Naruto was nineteen years old, Rock Lee had left on a journey. Then, news of his death was suddenly sent back. All along until that moment, Naruto never did know why had Rock Lee died. Who was his enemy?! He had investigated for a very long time, but instead never did find even a single piece of news.

Rock Lee's death back then had an extremely great influence on Naruto. It had made his originally withdrawn character to become even more withdrawn and silent…

When he had only heard that voice while his eyes were earlier closed, Naruto was already certain. After opening his eyes and sweeping a glance around, as if almost immediately, he already knew where he was at that moment.

This place is really too familiar!

Beyond The Heavens back mountains, Purple Bamboo Forest. That scenario — during the time when he was sixteen, Rock Lee and him had been sparring using rod techniques when he suddenly fell into a daze, and was then struck unconscious by Rock Lee when he failed to withdraw his attack in time.

Unless, he had actually returned to the time when he was sixteen years old? Yet how… could that be possible?

Naruto's gaze wandered around. After he had finished looking another complete circle, he was finally certain. He had indeed been reborn! Back to when he was sixteen years old. That kind of completely impossible incident, had instead actually happened on him at that very moment. Even with Naruto's tough mentality, he was also actually dazed from the sudden shock and happiness!

If everything can begin once again, within my lifetime, how much can I not let go?!

Today, I have really returned to the past?!

Naruto was stunned for a very long time before he regained himself. He took in a deep breath, and suppressed the rising emotions that seemed to be gushing out from his heart. His face was instead flooded with a red flush, and he could only feel his heart drumming in a typically intense beat, as if it would jump out of his mouth at any time.

Turning his head back, while carefully inspecting that once lost, but now recovered Brother. From within Naruto's eyes, deep and overwhelming emotions were shot out. In a slightly faint and hoarse voice, he instead teased and said, "Rock Lee, I finally understand the truth behind why you were abandoned in those years already…" Indeed, after having gave birth to such a fellow… if the family had not been frightened enough to instantly get rid of him, ah, their mentality would have been extremely tenacious.

Rock Lee embarrassedly scratched his head. Unexpectedly, with a little bit of shame, he said, "The reason should be because I was too handsome… while the reason you were abandoned, I estimate that it is because you were too ugly…"

Naruto rolled his white eyes, and suddenly felt an urge to beat someone up, as well as an urge to laugh…

…

From his memories, those injuries had caused him to lay in bed for half a month.

It was only until later that he came to know, he absolutely did not make a mistake while he was sparring. Instead, he was poisoned by someone! Within a certain time frame, that poison would cause his entire body to become paralyzed!

Far from him being the only target, his poisoner's original intention was to, after calculating and targeting a specific time period, let Rock Lee directly kill him in a single strike. That way, Rock Lee would also be finished…

Within the Sect, the Disciples sparring between themselves were common occurrences. However, if someone was to get killed, then that would instead become a large incident! Rock Lee being excommunicated from the sect would also have been a definite consequence!

However, the person responsible for poisoning had completely not thought that, during that period of time, although Rock Lee might have appeared to be well-matched with Naruto, his actual martial powers had instead exceeded Naruto's. When he had sparred against Naruto, he had always retained a certain percentage of his strength.

During the most crucial moment, although he had not managed to withhold his attack in time, he had instead managed to shed off more than half the strength behind the rod's attack, resulting in Naruto only suffering minor injuries!

Under his Teacher's charge, including himself, and adding Rock Lee, there were a total of three Disciples! The poisoner, was the Eldest Martial Brother! Obito!

A piercingly cold ray of light momentarily glinted in Naruto's eyes. He silently recited that name in his mind.

His facial expression suddenly changed and became similar to a Winter's chill, which gradually became colder. A faint killing intent began to envelop and drift about around him. Just beside him, without knowing why, Rock Lee actually felt a sudden chill pierce his bones. In the heat of that summer, he could not help but shudder and shiver from the cold.

That was because during that period of time, their Teacher had received a "Spring and Autumn Elixir" distributed by the sect; The Spring and Autumn Elixir, as its name had suggested, could increase a year's worth of pure martial powers in the person who had consumed it!

Their Teacher had completed a task for the sect, and therefore obtained the Spring and Autumn Elixir as a reward. Naruto remembered that his Teacher had once said, that he would also no longer receive any benefit from consuming that kind of medicine again. That was why, between Naruto and his two Martial Brothers, he was thinking of choosing someone to consume it.

Spring and Autumn Elixir. Naruto's heart was filled with a momentary sorrow. If that was to be tossed away in the Upper Three Heavens, no one would even bother picking up that kind of rubbish. Instead, that had became the reason for Eldest Martial Brother to be treacherous towards both him and Rock Lee!

Remembering his previous life, that Spring and Autumn Elixir was also given away to Eldest Martial Brother Obito…

It was only until when Rock Lee had suddenly met with an accident and died, and during the time when Naruto had once went to pay his respects to Rock Lee, that he unintentionally also saw that Eldest Martial Brother was also around. Moreover, before Rock Lee's gravestone marker, Eldest Martial Brother had revealed the truth of that matter, which was secretly heard by Naruto. Only then did he know, that the Eldest Martial Brother whom both he and Rock Lee had all along respected, was actually such a despicable person!

When he had thought until that point, Naruto secretly sighed. In their previous lives, how foolish had both he and Rock Lee been…

Obito, with a slim build, he had a very refined appearance, and was twenty-three or twenty-four years of age. During normal days, he would be extremely nice towards Naruto and Rock Lee. From how it usually looked like, that Eldest Martial Brother seemed to be even closer than a natural elder brother.

However, he had never thought that everything would actually be an act! Obito, from the beginning to the end, had all along made use of Naruto and Rock Lee! All of his usual pretense, was just to step on the both of them during a critical period, and monopolise the cultivation resources of the sect!

As to why Obito had done such a thing, Naruto also understood the reason. Through using all means and methods necessary, he wanted to enter the Inner Quarters of the Beyond The Heavens Sect, and obtain the qualifications to become an Inner Quarters Disciple. After that, he would then aspire to become the Eldest Martial Brother of all the Inner Quarters Disciples in the entire Beyond The Heavens Sect, and obtain the rights to enter the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds of the Beyond The Heavens Sect!

Once he had entered that place, he would then be a candidate for the sect's next Sect Master! Of all the generations of Disciples in the Beyond The Heavens Sect, only a single person would be able to enter!

With regard to power and authority, Obito fanatically pursued them enthusiastically! In his eyes, to achieve his objectives, he would unconditionally sacrifice everything!

For Naruto and his two Martial Brothers, they were all External Disciples of the Beyond The Heavens Sect. According to common reasoning, it was absolutely impossible for them to enter the Inner Quarters. For Obito to think of entering, he would need to stand out with his exceptional talents time and time again at the sect's Disciples Sparring Conventions, until he was the last person standing!

That was also the Beyond The Heavens Sect's method to excite and encourage its Disciples to improve since ages past.

That was why, even though that Spring and Autumn Elixir would only raise a mere one year's worth of pure martial powers, from each of those young Disciple's point of view, a single year's worth of pure martial powers was instead sufficient to outstrip Martial Brothers of similar classes by a long distance!

In his previous life, Obito had succeeded. He had, from that moment's status as an External Disciple, slowly climbed up one step at a time, and finally entered the Inner Quarters, obtaining the qualification to contend for the position of Eldest Martial Brother.

However, four years later, for reasons unknown, the Beyond The Heavens Sect was suddenly besieged by a coalition of various large sects, annihilated while turning into smoke and flying ashes in the span of a single night!

Meanwhile, Naruto had fallen unconscious due to serious injuries, and was then buried under many layers of corpses. When he regained consciousness, it had already been three days later.

During that moment, fierce fires raged throughout the Beyond The Heavens Sect, and they had not yet been completely burnt out. After being severely burnt relentlessly for three days, the main building of the Beyond The Heavens Sect finally collapsed completely, nearly smashing the immobilized Naruto under it.

However, after the collapse, a fragment of a sword was instead revealed in a deep part of the building's foundation, sparkling brilliantly! It seemed to carry with it a Devil's temptation…

That was the first fragment of the Nine Tribulation Sword, the Sword Point.

Naruto had generally met with great fortune and obtained a fragment of the Nine Tribulation Sword. The road to Naruto's rise would then begin from that moment forth… while at that point of time, he was already twenty years of age!

Meanwhile, from within Naruto's memories, that collapsed building's foundation was the location of the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds of the Beyond The Heavens Sect!

The place where Obito had also dreamed of entering!

The corners of Naruto's lips revealed the hint of a smile, and he muttered, "Obito, in this lifetime, this Seven Shades Congregation Grounds will be mine!"

Since he had been reborn, since time had been brought back by four years, then how could he waste those four years? He definitely needed to obtain the Nine Tribulations Sword even earlier! Meanwhile, in order to obtain the Nine Tribulations Sword, he would need to enter the Inner Quarters, and obtain the status of Eldest Martial Brother before being able to enter the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds!

Apart from that, there were also no other methods!

"What did you say?" Naruto's voice was extremely low, and Rock Lee absolutely could not hear. He only saw Naruto's lips moving momentarily, and he could not help asking.

"I said… this sky is really blue! This earth is really thick! These purple bamboos are really nice to look at! These flowers are really fragrant! Rock Lee, you have grown to become really handsome… Hahahaha…" Naruto jumped onto his feet, and suddenly burst out laughing. The sound of his laughter was clear and melodious, and it resonated for quite a distance.

At that very moment, Naruto was completely inspired! All of the regret in his past life, would thus be compensated in that lifetime!

Hinata, wait for me!

I will not disappoint you in this life!

I want to let you know, that you look nicer than a sword! I want to let you know, that in this world, you look the nicest! You look the nicest!

Rock Lee, my good Brother! I will not let you die again!

Toneri, you had better watch out!

The peak in the Way of the Heavens, I, Naruto… will, ascend! To! It!

"Hey, it is a matter-of-course that I am handsome, but is this sky, this earth, these purple bamboos… just how are they nice to look at huh… you are really crazy," Rock Lee muttered, batting his eyelids. One of his eyebrows seemed as if it was raised towards the skies, while the other seemed as though it was stabbing into the ground.

"Naruto, Rock Lee! Are the both of you here huh?" Following the sound of a momentary refreshing laughter, a young man in cyan clothes emerged from amongst the Purple Bamboo Forest whilst dodging the branches.

The person had a slim build, and a thin face. He was tanned, and had a pair of eyes that were not large, but were instead very lively.

Obito!


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto immediately turned his head around to take a look, and calmly looked at that gentle and smiling face. He clearly saw a hint of disappointment and annoyance flashed by deeply within Obito's gaze.

That was a feeling of annoyance generated from seeing that Naruto was actually safe and sound! Damn it, why did he not die?

However, Obito promptly revealed a face filled with an angry expression, and shouted, "What are the both of you doing? Naruto, what happened to your head? Didn't I tell the both of you earlier, that during sparring practices between Martial Brothers, attacks should stop with light touches; attacks should stop with light touches! Rock Lee, by using that much strength, are you thinking of hitting Naruto to death?"

Rock Lee looked at Obito with a little fear, his entire face filled with shame. He gaped, and muttered, "Eldest Martial Brother, it's… it's my mistake… my, my handsome and dashing looks had shocked Naruto, and he… he fell into a daze…"

Naruto was momentarily speechless.

"Ah, the both of you, ah, the both of you… really do not give me a peace of mind," Obito gave out a sigh that was filled with failed expectations, "Ah, when will the both of you let Teacher and me be assured? You are both already of this age, but still behave like children…"

While saying that, he quickly walked over with a face full of concern. As he was walking, with a *Shaa* — sound, he had already torn off a piece of his inner clothes. When he had arrived before Naruto, he had a face of pity. "Does it hurt huh? Don't move, I will bandage it for you. Do not move recklessly. For these few days, do not run about, otherwise you will let the wind enter your wounds…"

Obito carefully used the front of his clothes to wipe away the traces of blood on Naruto, and then began to bandage Naruto's wounds using a light and gentle strength. Finally, feeling assured, he looked over once more. Letting out a breath, he said, "Ai, if Teacher saw this, he would definitely want to blame me once more for not looking over my two Younger Martial Brothers. Ah, the both of you…" He sighed while shaking his head.

"Eldest Martial Brother… we were in the wrong…" Feeling miserable, Rock Lee said, "Sorry. When I fight with him again, I will just mask my face…"

"Why did you apologise to me? Ai, such a large wound, would it hurt if I were to place it on your body?" Obito angrily said, "You should apologize to Younger Martial Brother Naruto Yang!"

Towards Rock Lee's narcissism, Obito faintly revealed a hint of disdain in his eyes. Such an ugly thing, he can actually be narcissistic to such a stage? That really is unthinkable.

Whenever Obito spoke, every single sentence would make others feel as if those words had been spoken from the bottom of his heart. Moreover, his gaze never flinched, and had always watched directly at the other person in the eyes. His gaze appeared magnanimous, and people would know from a single look that he was upright, that everything he had done, had all been done sincerely!

"Yes, yes," Rock Lee nodded his head repeatedly, his entire face filled with guilt and shame. Under Eldest Martial Brother's care-filled scolding, he intuitively felt ashamed. Whilst helplessly touching his face, Rock Lee sadly gave a sigh, and felt that he was that much handsome and dashing, suave to the extent of shocking the Heavens and moving the Earth, that it actually brought disaster and was therefore an unforgivable thing…

Naruto secretly gave a momentarily sigh. That Obito, no matter if it were his expressions and actions, or even tone, they all seemed that much genuine, and there were absolutely no flaws. If he had not been reborn, he would definitely have been deceived by him…

It was no wonder that in his previous life, that person would be able to continuously stand out from amongst all the External Disciples and swiftly rose through the ranks, until he was finally able to compete for the position of Eldest Martial Brother!

If the Beyond The Heavens Sect had not been annihilated, Naruto was definitely certain that in the end, the position of Inner Quarters Disciples' Eldest Martial Brother would absolutely be Obito's foregone conclusion!

That kind of capability to present a set of actions but actually perform another set of actions, that was really too rare! It was simply flawless! Others would never know what he was secretly thinking in his mind.

It was no wonder that in my previous life, after Obito had entered the Inner Quarters, within an extremely short period of time, he would be able to obtain the affection of Sect Master Hiruzen Sarutobi's daughter, Tsunade…

Tsunade had been called to be the most beautiful woman in the Beyond The Heavens Sect, so how would she lack in the number of suitors? However, Obito's physical appearance was nothing extraordinary, but he had instead quietly captured the affections of that girl who had been so loved by the Heavens! During that moment, when the news had spread, the entire Beyond the Heavens Storey was in a state of shock!

However, at the moment, Naruto instead knew that everything had not been incidental! Obito, he would be able to do it!

In this lifetime, however, for Obito to once again think of easily doing it… that will be difficult. That is because, before him, there is still me, Naruto! Before me, all of his conspiracies are no different from being non-existent!

"Let's go, follow me and return to recuperate your injuries," Obito attentively supported Naruto as he stood up.

Naruto momentarily smiled, but just as he was about to take a step, he was suddenly startled. From within his own Dantian, there emerged the feeling of an extreme hunger. Or it could also be said, that it was a very pressing, very urgent feeling.

Naruto was immediately startled!

What is happening? Being hungry… should also be the stomach's affair right? Or maybe the stomach would feel unbearable, but why is the Dantian also hungry?

That kind of feeling surged forth like a rushing tide. Within his Dantian, it was also as if a pot had been opened.

Given the strength of Naruto's mental convictions, he actually also found it to be absolutely unbearable! Feeling really unbearable, Naruto immersed into his mental consciousness, activated his martial powers and observed his body's internal situation. From a single look, Naruto nearly exclaimed out loud!

At the center of his Dantian, the shadow of an empty small sword had actually appeared! Its color was dark and murky, and it was only the size of the part of a finger where fingerprints began. On the body of the sword, eight cracks could be clearly seen!

The shape of that sword was a little weird, but from Naruto's point of view, it was instead incomparably familiar!

Although dilapidated, that was only just an illusory shadow, and even though it was without a form, it emanated the hint of an absolutely domineering presence!

Isn't, isn't this the Nine Tribulations Sword huh?! Why is it within my own Dantian?

Within a moment, Naruto was stupefied. His body staggered twice, and he almost fell from the shock!

That calling due to an extreme longing once again appeared, and Naruto carefully waited in anticipation for a while. Indeed, within a short period of time, the faint and dim Nine Tribulations Sword within his Dantian once again sent off a strong and intense calling of desire…

That kind of feeling was like a baby who could no longer tolerate being hungry, and was wildly flailing his or her legs while crying and screaming, wanting to drink milk. The appearance of that feeling caused Naruto to momentarily sweat. He really did not know how that sort of ridiculous feeling was produced.

When his thoughts came into contact with that feeling, the faint and dim Nine Tribulations Sword gave off light feelings of resistance and curiosity, as if a baby was looking at himself or herself with wide and innocent eyes. That baby's gaze was filled with desire, unfamiliarity, and expectations…

Without any reason, Naruto momentarily felt a wave of gentle affection well up from within him, and tenderly willed his thoughts over to embrace it… At that time, the silhouette of that sword only slightly resisted for a while, and then it let down all of its guard.

Upon contact with his thoughts, Naruto also understood how that thing came about!

That was not exactly the Nine Tribulations Sword; Correctly speaking, that was the Soul belonging to the Nine Tribulations Sword! Or it could also be called the Sword's Awareness!

It was during the time when he had performed that destructive technique, and had pierced the Nine Tribulations Sword into his own heart, that the blood from his heart poured out and stimulated the Sword's Soul. That also meant that the beginning phase of the Nine Tribulations Sword's greatest secret had been stimulated…

Meanwhile, it was that stimulated Sword's Soul which, without knowing how, actually brought him back to the period when he was a youth!

The final technique of the Nine Tribulations Sword was originally a tabooed technique. To perish together with the enemy, moreover, to first kill himself, then kill the enemy! Only someone who possessed that kind of decisive thought would be able to perform it!

What Naruto did not know was, that was exactly one of the mysterious parts of the Nine Tribulations Sword!

All the previous Masters of the Nine Tribulations Sword had only practiced according to the Path of Sword Cultivation; meanwhile, they did not obtain the Nine Tribulations Sword's approval! That was because, by completely treating it as a sword to be used for practice… Then, what could be obtained from that?

A sword, was originally emotionless. That was why, while they were being driven by such practices, they had naturally chosen the Path of the Emotionless Sword!

That was why, all of the previous Masters of the Nine Tribulations Sword, they were only "Slaves to the Sword"! Including Naruto in his previous life, he was also merely a Slave to the Sword! Slave to the Sword!

It was the sword that was making use of the people, and not the people who were making use of the sword!

However, Naruto had instead performed the final technique, 'With the blood of my heart, ten thousand tribulations will collapse!'

Excluding Naruto, none of all the previous people who obtained the Nine Tribulations Sword had dared to use that technique! Meanwhile, after their lives had reached the limit, or after they had been accidentally killed by others, the Nine Tribulations Sword would automatically break apart, and once again return into its fragmented state, scattering across the continents. It would silently await its true Master, looking forward to the very day that it would stand at the very peak of the Nine Tribulations Sword's brilliance, while it revealed its true divine destiny…

That was why, whilst without a care for anything else, Naruto's performance of the final technique had resulted in the Sword's Soul to completely activate, and resided within his Dantian. Meanwhile, it was also from that moment forth, that the godly item which was ranked first in the Continent of the Nine Heavens, truly had a Master!

That was also why it would accept Naruto that easily.

It could be said, that with the exception of the Nine Tribulations Sword's creator, Naruto was the first Master of the Nine Tribulations Sword!

The veritable Master of the Nine Tribulations Sword.

That was what it truly meant, to survive after facing the danger of death!

From that very moment forth, Naruto clearly knew that he would walk on a completely different path as compared to his previous life!

At that moment, the Sword's Soul belonging to that Nine Tribulations Sword was just like a baby who was frantically waiting to be laid to sleep, and was pressing for the various fragments of the Nine Tribulations Sword, and nourishment from the spiritual energies of the Heavens and Earth! By giving out those kinds of pressing emotions, it was also urging Naruto to seek the fragments of the Nine Tribulations Sword! As to finding the necessary nourishment for the Nine Tribulations Sword…

Naruto's concentration sank into his Dantian. Then, using his mind's concentration, he embraced that faint and dim Sword's Soul, and whole-heartedly focused his intent at pacifying it…

After some time, as if the intent of the Nine Tribulations Sword had sensed Naruto's sincerity, it slowly began to quieten down. Although there remained some unwillingness, it instead no longer gave out those calls of longing…

It was like a child who did not manage to obtain his or her favorite toy, but was instead understanding enough not to forcibly throw a tantrum. It only pouted and held back its tears, and with an expression of grievance, looked at his or her own parents…

That Soul of the Nine Tribulations Sword was rather like an adorable small child.

A momentary sense of pity welled up from within Naruto, and under that kind of sentiment, he actually felt a sense of shame accumulating from within his heart…

He controlled his feelings of excitement, and exhaled a long breath. Opening his eyes, he instead saw Obito looking at him, before himself. Within the deepest recesses of Obito's eyes, there was actually a slight hint of excitement. It was probably because he had thought that Naruto showing that kind of abnormality was due to his injuries. When he saw Naruto opening his eyes, that excitement within his eyes fleeted away, and with a concerned tone of voice, he said, "Younger Martial Brother Naruto, what happened to you?"

"Nothing. It was only just… earlier, I suddenly felt like farting, but… however, taking into account that Senior Martial Brother, you were following directly behind, I was embarrassed, and had spent quite a large amount of effort to restrain it back…" Naruto said seriously, and gave Obito a meaningful look.

"Urgh…" Obito's facial expression changed, and he embarrassedly said, "This… it must be very uncomfortable right…" Within that short span of time, he also did not know how to answer; on whether he should advise Naruto to fart or… Naruto should still hold it in like that…

Ah, either way, both were unsuitable in terms of keeping up appearances…

At one side, with a *Pu*, Rock Lee also began to laugh. However, he also felt that it was not the appropriate time, and therefore did not dare to give out a loud laughter. Adding to the fact that he had a unique voice, that had resulted in the laughing sound to actually, really, sound as if a typical fart had been released…

Obito momentarily felt a wave of nausea, and almost threw up.

Within his mind, Naruto gave an imaginary, secret smile. He felt that it was as if his own mentality had slowly began to change, as if, when compared to his previous life, he was no longer the same…

All of his regrets, had been given the chance to be atoned. Naturally, his mentality also became one that was inspired and not easily provoked.

In his previous life, he had only obtained the Sword Point of the Nine Tribulations Sword four years later from that very moment. Moreover, throughout his past life, he did not know that the Nine Tribulations Sword actually had that kind of Sword's Soul!

Taking a step at a time, as he walked towards the houses within the Purple Bamboo Forest, Naruto's way of thinking seemed as though it was also changing, and that its transformation was being completed as he neared his destination.

With each step that Naruto took, as he neared the house that had only existed within his memories, he could feel his own soul trembling once. Then, a new feeling and mood would begin to rise from within his heart. Slowly, his heart actually began to fill with longing.

Within that house, was his own Teacher! The person whom he had respected the most throughout his entire life!

Since he had returned to when he was sixteen years of age, then, without caring if he had been reborn or whatever, at that moment, he was already no longer that Poisonous Sword Revered Martial Artist! At that moment, he was Naruto, a youth! A frail and delicate youth!

On that continent, before had he matured, there were countless people who could cause his death! If he had still thought of himself as the Revered Martial Expert of his previous life, then under the circumstance of his capabilities being a mismatch with his mentality, he would then die exceedingly fast…

Only Naruto knew, that a Revered Martial Artist would still be able to have a lifetime of prestige in that Three Lower Heavens. However, should a Revered Martial Artist arrive at the Three Middle Heavens, there would still be instances where that person's hands and feet would be tied up, and he or she would therefore require to be careful with his or her endeavors. Meanwhile, should a Revered Martial Artist arrive at the Three Higher Heavens…

He or she would then be nothing special!

Only by forgetting the past glories of his previous life, and beginning anew, one step at a time, continuing until his arrival to the peak — that would be the only correct rationality! Then, for the first step, that would be to become the Eldest Martial Brother of all the Inner Quarters Disciples of Beyond The Heavens Sect within the shortest time possible, then entering the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds and obtain the first fragment of the Nine Tribulations Sword!

For the path of that life, what could be imagined was that it would definitely be a lot more exciting that his previous life!

The three people stopped their footsteps at the same time; they had already arrived at the Purple Bamboo Garden. While looking at those few houses that had previously only remained within his memories, deep and intense emotions were shot forth from within Naruto's eyes. He unintentionally stopped his feet and stood still, and he could only feel the emotions within his heart surging forth like a tide. He was actually unable to momentarily contain his emotions!

Beyond The Heavens Sect, The Nine Peaks and The Single Garden. There were the ten great Disciples of the seventh generation belonging to the Beyond The Heavens Sect, and each were in charge of a separate location; Forthcoming Clouds Peak, Misty Clouds Peak, Distant Clouds Peak, Separating Clouds Peak, Gathering Clouds Peak, Locking Clouds Peak, Dream Clouds Peak, Hatred Clouds Peak, Stepping On The Clouds Peak, and Purple Bamboo Garden.

The Gathering Clouds Peak was the Peak where the Sect Master Hiruzen Sarutobi resided, and it was the main Peak amongst The Nine Peaks. The Single Garden was the Purple Bamboo Garden where Naruto resided. Amongst The Nine Peaks and The Single Garden, although the scenery of the Purple Bamboo Garden was the most beautiful, it was instead ranked at the end when it came to resources amongst the nine.

The Master of the Purple Bamboo Garden, Kakashi, was the Youngest Martial Brother amongst the ten great Disciples, and he had a natural disposition to be indifferent; aloof from worldly affairs. He never competed with his nine Martial Brothers for anything, and throughout his whole life, he had only taken in Obito, Naruto and Rock Lee as his three Disciples.

With the exception of Obito being accepted due to feelings and favors that were owed unto others, Naruto and Rock Lee were both orphans who had been picked up by Kakashi.

In every single generation of Disciples, there would be a selection for the ten great Disciples amongst the Inner Quarters Disciples; to become the various people in charge of The Nine Peaks and The Single Garden. Meanwhile, the Eldest Martial Brother of the ten great Disciples would be the future candidate for the Beyond the Heavens Storey's Sect Master, dominating the Gathering Clouds Peak.

No matter if it were the degree of Spiritual Medicinal resources or Spiritual Energy secret manuals, the Gathering Clouds Peak was ranked first amongst The Nine Peaks.

For those positions of the ten great Disciples, the Disciples of The Nine Peaks and The Single Garden had been competing amongst themselves for several hundreds of years; every single person had desperately trained themselves for those ten positions. Under those kind of encouraging and pressurizing conditions, the cultivation of the Disciples belonging to the Beyond The Heavens Sect had improved by leaps and bounds.

The name of that world was the Continent of the Nine Heavens. The Beyond The Heavens Sect was located at the Three Lower Heavens, or the 'Continent of the Lower Heavens'. In the eyes of common men, there were a few mysterious locations on the Continent of the Lower Heavens that was permeated with misty clouds throughout the year. No matter if it were men or beasts, or even birds that flew, none of them could get close to those locations.

Only several martial experts who were powerful in their cultivation would know that the entrances to enter the Three Middle Heavens and transcend the Three Lower Heavens laid there.

There existed similar mysterious places within the Three Middle Heavens, and those were the entrances to the Three Higher Heavens!

For a person to even think of entering, he or she would require to possess martial powers that had transcended the world!

The Continent of the Nine Heavens. As its name had suggested, was an extremely large continent. From the East to the West, since the beginning, no one knew how far the distance stretched. From the South to the North, there were never any records of how distant one end was to the other. It was boundless!

There were countless legends and countless myths on that vast continent, and they were passed down from generation to generation. Since ancient times, there were an unknown number of emperors, kings, generals and ministers, as well as heroes emerging like an endless stream.

On a certain day, one might be drinking red wine with friends while appreciating songs and dance, yet that person might be locked in chains and become a death row convict on the very next day. On a certain day, one might be an emperor, yet on the very next day, it did not mean that person would not become the general of a defeated army, or a ghost after dying under the edge of a blade. On a certain day, one might be a plundering thief, yet who could say that the person would not be putting on the yellow gown, becoming an emperor on the very next day?

On that mysterious continent, it was possible for anything to happen!

Similar to any continental planets, there were also boundaries beyond the imperial court. Beyond those boundaries, there were also wandering swordsmen. Besides those wandering swordsmen, there were also people associated with the martial society. With the existence of a martial society, there would be opposing sides, and those opposing sides would be separated into those which were righteous and those which were evil.

Those who were righteous and those who were evil would never stand together, and conflicts between them were endless. Amidst the long and sustained conflicts, there were also various people who had formed their own system of martial etiquette codes, or places where conflicts had caused chaos during a certain period of time, or even places where several hundreds of years had passed by peacefully.

Worldly matters, they were originally that intriguingly marvelous.

No matter if it were the Ways of the Righteous, the Devil or Evil, in the eyes of common men, there was instead a common form of addressing those practitioners: Martial Artists in the Way of the Martial Arts!

No matter the world, for swordsmen to violate restrictions through use of Martial Arts, the reasoning was always the same. The term 'Martial Arts' implied many meanings. Amongst all of those meanings, the most memorable interpretation would be no more than the word 'violence'!

Martial Arts implied that from a single disagreement, the ground within seven steps would be soaked with blood. Martial Arts implied performing meritorious services and achieving great success through wielding a weapon while riding atop a horse. Martial Arts implied being unscrupulous in the martial society, committing murder and plunder…

Martial Arts. Not only were they colorful, they were also associated with many disputes and conflicts.

With the exception of the human race, there were also several mysterious races on that world. For example, amongst people of the Heavens and Earth, there was the Three Stars Holy Clan. It was said that in the past, there was a period of time when they were also once glorious, that they also possessed exotic powers that were bestowed by the Heavens, and had once reigned supreme, independently yet equally, alongside the human race. However, their numbers had already declined since a long, long time ago.

There might still be other special Clans, but, those were even more fleeting than legends…

At the very least, Naruto could only count a handful of those that he had seen in his past life. Moreover, all of them belonged to Low Class Holy Clans. As for High Class Clans, he never saw even a single one. He did not know if they had become extinct, or if they were secretly hidden at a particular location…

Meanwhile, for human Martial Artists, no matter the Righteous or Evil, with regard to Fingers, Palms, Legs, Feet, Punches, Sabers, Swords… and all the other kinds of proficiencies, they all began with Pupil, Warrior, Artist, Master, Great Master, Revered, King, Emperor (Majesty), Gentleman, Saint… until, finally at the peak, they would be Supreme!

There were eleven ranks, and each rank was separated into Nine Grades; from the First Grade to the Ninth Grade.

Martial Skills implementing the Fists and Palms were generally referred to as Martial Arts. Martial Arts Pupil, Martial Arts Warrior, Martial Artist, Martial Arts Master, Martial Arts Great Master, Revered Martial Artist, Martial Artist King, Martial Artist Majesty, Martial Artist Gentleman, Martial Artist Saint.

If the proficiency was to be changed to the Way of the Sabre, then it would be Sabre Pupil, Sabre Warrior, Sabre Artist… Sabre Saint!

It was only the Way of the Sword, that although the beginning were the same, the Majesty rank was instead referred to as "Emperor"; that was the rule laid down by the first master of the Nine Tribulations Sword, and no one knew the reason behind that.

After arriving at the Saint rank, one could basically be considered to already be at the pinnacle under the Heavens! That was because, since ancient times, people who were capable of becoming Supreme were only a scant few! It could be said that people who had achieved the rank of Supreme were just myths! According to legends, with regard to the capabilities for one who was at the rank of Supreme, he or she could call the winds and summon the rain, as well as travelling to the boundaries of the sky; he or she could also shift mountains and reclaim seas, as well as being able to attain transcendence!

However, legends would always be only legends. No one had ever witnessed it for themselves! With regard to people of the Saint rank, their whereabouts had always been mysterious. People would rarely meet them.

Since an unknown number of years, only people who were ranked Majesty and Emperor had reigned unrivaled under the Heavens! Each of them dominated their own regions!

The Beyond The Heavens Sect which Naruto belonged to at that moment was situated at the Three Lower Heavens. Within the Continent of the Nine Heavens, that was the only single piece of space which the mundane imperial family held power and ruled. At the Three Lower Heavens, the imperial family had the absolute authority.

"Come in, the three of you." His entire body covered in a purple gown, Kakashi stood at the entrance to the Purple Bamboo Garden, bearing a tranquil expression that seemed otherworldly. When he saw the wound on Naruto's head, he only slightly raised his eyebrows, then regained his usual indifferent appearance.

"Teacher, both Younger Martial Brothers had made mistakes while sparring, and Younger Martial Brother Naruto Yang had lost quite an amount of blood this time. I hope that Teacher will bestow some Spiritual Medicine to relieve some of Younger Martial Brother Naruto Yang's pain." Obito said in a relatively urgent tone. From within his eyes, as well as his facial expression, they were both completely filled with intentions of concern.

Obito's words were filled with concern towards his Younger Martial Brother, and seemed as though he did not have any other meaning. Neither did he intentionally use his tone to stress on several sensitive phrases. However, indirectly, those sentences were as good as mercilessly victimising Rock Lee before Kakashi!

"There is no need." It was not known whether Kakashi could not tell from Obito's words, or if he was unconcerned. In an indifferent tone, Kakashi said, "It is a good thing for young people to suffer a little injury and endure a little pain. As long as the muscles and bones were not harmed, nor the life in any danger, is there a need to be this nervous?"

As Naruto looked at the truly refined face before him, warm and intimate feelings began to well up from the bottom of his heart. It was as if he had the sudden impulse to rush forward and embrace his Teacher!

His Teacher… was both his master and father, and that was both true and untrue. As an orphan, Naruto had been brought up by Kakashi ever since he was a child. In his mind, his Teacher was his most important and respected person. No matter what kind of achievements he would later obtain, or even during the time when he had obtained the rank of a Revered Martial Expert, his Teacher would always remain as a warm person in his mind.

With regard to that Teacher of his, he appeared to be harmless towards other people and small animals, as well as being indifferent to matters of the world. However, none of the tens of thousands of worldly affairs escaped his eyes. No one could possibly imagine the secrets and caution that Kakashi had kept within both his heart and mind.

All along, Kakashi had never sought fame nor openly revealed his capabilities, which was why no one could possibly imagine the strength that he possessed.

Naruto could still remember the moment of the catastrophe that would befall upon the Beyond The Heavens Sect four years later. Kakashi's white clothes fluttered as he danced, a single man with a single sword, switching between postures amidst the fiercely raging flames! Countless enemies gave out numerous, miserable cries of death as they fell under his sword. Clearly, he could easily break through the encirclement and leave, but he had instead remained guarding that place, until the sect had been reduced to a piece of scorched earth.

It was only at that moment, Naruto then knew that his Teacher Kakashi was a man who had kept a profile so low, that it could not get any lower within the Beyond The Heavens Sect, and that he was actually one of the very few people who had the strongest cultivation within the Beyond The Heavens Sect! His entire cultivation had already achieved the domain level of a Martial Arts Great Master! It was even to the point of being close to the rank of Revered Martial Artist!

At the final moment, Kakashi discovered the seriously wounded Naruto. Drifting over, and with a single palm strike, he caused Naruto to become dizzy. Then, Naruto could only feel himself being pressed down by countless corpses.

That was undoubtedly his Teacher's only method of preserving his life. However, Naruto never did get to meet Kakashi in his life after that, and he also did not get to hear any news with regard to Kakashi…

In Naruto's previous life, finding his Teacher's traces was his life's mission that he had always remembered in his mind! Finding his Teacher, protecting his Teacher, and repaying his Teacher… those were also his wishes. However, Naruto never did manage to find him… that also became a regret which he had always kept in his heart.

At that very moment, to once again see that familiar and intimate face, Naruto was unintentionally filled with mixed emotions.

"The Contest of the Peaks will be held in another three months." Kakashi's voice interrupted Naruto's thoughts, and he could only hear him say, "The three of you had better intensify your practise and see who is capable of entering the Inner Quarters to become Inner Quarters Disciples. This is an event of our Beyond The Heavens Sect, so all of you should not slacken."

"Yes." The three people answered simultaneously.

"Our Beyond The Heavens Sect is different from the other sects. Masters of The Nine Peaks and The Single Garden have all along been produced from amongst Inner Quarters Disciples. I also wish that at least one of you is capable of becoming one of the ten great Disciples, and inherit the Purple Bamboo Garden."

Kakashi easily gave a smile and said, "However, if you are incapable, then there is no need to force yourself. I will personally bring all of you away from the Purple Bamboo Garden, and seek a place for you to live in seclusion."

Naruto secretly gave a bitter smile. That Teacher of his was still that easygoing. Regardless the matter, he never placed them on his mind; for that kind of a great event, if it were another person, he or she would try exceedingly hard. However, in Kakashi's mind, he actually did not weigh that event heavily.

"This Disciple will definitely not disappoint Teacher's expectations!" Obito's gaze became fervent as he gave his pledge.

"Mmm, there is something that I must do, so I will be leaving for a while." Kakashi said calmly, "It is possible that I might even be back after the contest. All of you shall voluntarily intensify your practise, and that will do."

The three of them were startled at the same time. Due to the imminent contest, which of the other Peaks' Teachers was not putting in all of their efforts in pressing their Disciples to practise? However, that Teacher of theirs was unexpectedly leaving at that critical juncture? Even to the point of completely washing his hands off without any concern?

"Teacher, please be careful of everything. Teacher, since you have decided to leave at this critical juncture, then that must definitely be an important matter that cannot be delayed." Naruto thought for a moment, then said, "The Heavens and Earth do not shift, neither does the stone turn amidst the flowing river, and there are still many days ahead. It is just as what you had just taught us. With regard to anything, there is no need to force yourself. We only look forward to Teacher returning safely, and do not have any other request."

Naruto could still faintly remember, that after Kakashi had left, he only came back half a year later. Moreover, he had returned bearing serious injuries, and he had to rest for over a year to fully recover.

Given his capabilities of a Martial Arts Great Master, he was already an expert on the Three Lower Heavens, and there were only very few people who could injure him. There were only two possibilities. It was either Kakashi had been surrounded and attacked by quite a large number of enemies, or that he had gone… to the Three Middle Heavens!

The Heavens and Earth do not shift, neither does the stone turn amidst the flowing river!

Kakashi's body suddenly trembled momentarily. It was as if a thunderclap had suddenly rang out from the Ninth Heaven and struck him on his head, thus causing him to actually become startled for a moment. After quite some time, Kakashi then turned around and looked at Naruto, shooting forth a mysterious gaze at him.

Amongst the three Disciples, Obito was passionate for power, coveting the position of the Inner Quarters Disciples' Eldest Martial Brother, while Rock Lee had the mentality of a youth, and was ignorant. Only Naruto was aware that him leaving on that trip was not only a matter of great importance, but that there would also be danger. Moreover, amongst the words which he had said, there were some that actually contained a deep meaning.

However, the most crucial words were still those "The Heavens and Earth do not shift, neither does the stone turn amidst the flowing river", which faintly seemed as if it had actually struck at the bottleneck of the many years of his cultivation…

Naruto gave a secret smile. Teacher, don't blame me for stopping you, ah, I am doing this for your own good. When you had left for this trip in my previous life, you had barely managed to escape back while bearing fatal injuries. That proves your capabilities are still not enough to perform that task. It is still better for you to concentrate on cultivating your skills for a period of time right…

That "The Heavens and Earth do not shift, neither does the stone turn amidst the flowing river", was the verse to break through the bottleneck for the domain level of Martial Arts Great Master. Once a person's capabilities had reached the peak of Martial Arts Great Master, he or she would then encounter a bottleneck. Only after the person had perceived and obtained insight, would he or she be able to break through it.

Meanwhile, that "The Heavens and Earth do not shift, neither does the stone turn amidst the flowing river", was a kind of domain level! Only after a Martial Arts Great Master had arrived at that subtle stage, would he or she be able to appreciate the beauty of that single sentence!

How could Kakashi be an exception?


	4. Chapter 4

The shock that Kakashi had received from that sentence was significantly greater than a mere earthquake with a magnitude of nine. Instead, that simple sentence had completely smashed his plans apart. Once the bottleneck had been shaken, if it was not immediately broken through in a single attempt, then even if he were to use double the amount of strength in his attempt to break through it at another time, he might not necessarily succeed!

Since his mental state had been shaken, even if Kakashi was bent on leaving at that moment, he could no longer do so.

"I am not leaving for now. I will need to go into seclusion for a while." Kakashi's gaze momentarily hardened, and he briefly observed Naruto. Naruto's expression remained normal, and it was as if the sentence which he had spoken were words said without any other intention. Kakashi helplessly began to smile.

He had earlier just said that he was leaving, but following that, he instead said that he was no longer leaving. Those kind of unpredictable decisions would originally, most easily, result in the person being held in contempt, but Kakashi did not seem reluctant, and had just said that out in such an indifferent manner. It was as if that sort of thing was a very common affair.

"Mmm, right. This Spring and Autumn Elixir, Naruto shall take it." Kakashi gave a slight smile as he swung a hand. A small jade bottle was hurled over to Naruto. Kakashi then said, "Earlier, Obito had also said that Naruto's injuries will require some nourishment. Just use that as nourishment then." Within that faint smile of his, there seemed to be a slight hint of a mocking intent that was very much quite meaningful…

Immediately, Obito's facial expression changed drastically!

The Spring and Autumn Elixir was used to raise a person's martial powers, so how could it be used as a tonic to nourish a person's blood and body? The sect had that many medicine which could be used to treat injuries, so why should the Spring and Autumn Elixir be used?

That sentence of his was only meant to let his Teacher have a bad impression of his other two Disciples, and nothing more. Instead, why did it backfire to the point that the Spring and Autumn Elixir was lost in a single moment?

How… how did that came about?

Naruto perceptively noticed the trace of ridiculing intent disappearing as it flashed past the edges of Kakashi's lips, and he unintentionally gave a secret, bitter smile. Ah, it looks like that Obito's deceptive scheme had already been seen through by Teacher… It is only, why had Teacher not stopped him all along?

Moreover, his Teacher had bestowed the Spring and Autumn Elixir unto him, and that was absolutely due to his "The Heavens and Earth do not shift, neither does the stone turn amidst the flowing river". However, that Teacher of his was truly rather tolerant. For him to not even ask…

After some thinking, Naruto still decided to momentarily test the waters. "Eh, Teacher, this Disciple's martial powers are insignificant, so taking this Spring and Autumn Elixir will also not be much of a use. You should give it to Eldest Martial Brother instead, right? He will then also be able to achieve a good rank during the Contest of the Peaks."

Those sentences were meant to test if Kakashi had indeed known Obito's true character.

Having said that, both of Rock Lee's eyebrows immediately began to twitch up and down frantically in a chaotic manner. He could not wait to cover up Naruto's mouth, and almost opened his own mouth to begin scolding him: Stupid cunt! Stupid cunt! It is not easy for Teacher to give it to you, so you should have just kept quiet after striking it rich. Why are you still so stupid to give it away?

Obito's face also revealed a slight hint of expectation.

The gazes of three people simultaneously looked towards Kakashi. Rock Lee was anxious, whereas Obito's nervousness and apprehensiveness contained expectations with a slight hint of greed; meanwhile, Naruto's gaze was instead very calm.

"It is not necessary. Your Eldest Martial Brother is also not injured… so he won't be needing that," Kakashi said indifferently. He met Naruto's gaze, and gave a momentary slight smile. "Besides, your current domain level is also not much different from your Eldest Martial Brother… Mmm, it will be like this then. There is no need to say any further."

Naruto's facial expression momentarily became bitter. What Kakashi had just said obviously contained other meanings. At that moment, he was a Martial Pupil of the Third Grade, while Eldest Martial Brother Obito was instead a Martial Warrior of the Fourth Grade. The difference was not justified by comparing their domain levels, so why did he say 'both of your domain levels are not that much different'?

The true meaning behind what Kakashi had said, should be: 'Both of your cunningness and insidiousness are already more or less the same…' Ah, Teacher, I am innocent… ah, I am a pure and honest person… Naruto shouted out within his mind…

Kakashi once again took a deep look at that Disciple, then whisked his sleeves, stood up and said, "All of you had better practise well. I will personally bring all of you to the top of Gathering Clouds Peak three months later!"

With that, Kakashi unexpectedly left, and his figure immediately disappeared.

The three of them faced each other. Obito's eyes were looking at the small jade bottle that was radiating a soft glow within Naruto's hands, and the muscles of his face uncontrollably twitched twice.

All the effort he had put forth, wasn't it just because of that item? Instead, it was gone right before his eyes…

"Eldest Martial Brother, many thanks." Naruto appeared to be very sincere as he gave his thanks towards Obito, and said, "If Eldest Martial Brother had not proposed that this Younger Brother requires nourishment, then why would Teacher bestow this treasured divine Elixir unto me… Speaking of which, ah, this is all due to Eldest Martial Brother's accomplishments."

Obito opened and closed his mouth a few times, and then, with a smile on his face that seemed even more unsightly than if he were to cry, he said, "How can Younger Martial Brother say that. Teacher had specially intended to bestow it unto you, ah, Teacher's kindness is really profound."

The divine Elixir had accidentally flew away from his hand, and unexpectedly, the person who had obtained that divine Elixir even thanked him sincerely… He found the situation completely unbearable, yet he did not dare to flare up even a little. The Obito of that moment was already vexed to the extreme, and he was itching to severely slap his own mouth… Why do you have such a cheap, bitchy mouth! Why did you have to go and say those sentences?

Naruto momentarily laughed, then turned over the mouth of the bottle, and a red coloured pill with a red lustre came out. At the very moment when it left the bottle, a rare fragrance permeated into the surroundings. Naruto chuckled and said, "I heard that this item is something good, and consuming one will actually increase a year's worth of martial powers! Although the increase is a bit little… ah, but I should also not waste it. I will now be taking it, and will have to trouble Elder and Younger Martial Brothers to help guard and protect me…"

Immediately, Obito's face momentarily cramped. The increase is a bit little? You actually still resented it and found it to be little? Do you believe if the Heavens will strike you with a bolt of lightning?

It should originally have been mine. Instead, it is currently in another person's hands. Now, this person actually still wants me to protect him…

There was no need to mention how Obito secretly felt. Just as he was about to open his mouth and speak, he instead saw Naruto opening his mouth, and the Spring and Autumn Elixir had already been tossed in mid-air. Then, after receiving it with his mouth, Naruto ate it in the same way as how someone would eat a broad bean. He even went as far as to chew it noisily, and after smacking his lips, he said, "There was not much taste…"

Obito's face turned fiercely red, and it was as if all the blood in his entire body had rushed up to his head within a short time, almost coming close to exploding…

In the next moment, Naruto's face suddenly began to flush… the effects of the Elixir had already begun.

Rock Lee looked on enviously, then smacked his mouth and said, "Naruto's luck is really good. He broke his head yet managed to obtain the Spiritual Elixir. Ah, that is one year's worth of pure martial powers. Ah, that really is a blessing in disguise. Ai, I am such a dashing, elegant and beautiful man, but why didn't I break my head…"

Obito's heart felt like it was bleeding, but he only gave a dry smile and said, "Not bad, not bad, his luck is not bad…"

After Naruto had taken the Spring and Autumn Elixir, he could only feel the huge and potent effects of the Elixir beginning to surge, penetrating into his bones and throughout his four limbs almost instantly. The meridian channels throughout his body momentarily expanded, and energy gushed through them, rushing towards the direction of his Dantian…

Unintentionally, he secretly gave a momentary bitter smile: The effects of that Spiritual Elixir was indeed not bad. Although only a year's worth of martial powers had been increased, given the state of his cultivation at that moment, that single year's worth of martial powers was already a comparably huge amount of strength. If it was a slightly higher grade of Spiritual Elixir, I am afraid that my meridian channels might really not be able to endure it…

Within Naruto's Dantian, the Nine Tribulation Sword's Soul suddenly gave off an excited mood. Promptly, as if it had extended a ridiculous antenna, Naruto could feel the effects of the Elixir entering into the Nine Tribulations Sword like a hundred rivers converging into a sea, until there was actually not even a single bit remaining.

Unintentionally astonished for a moment, Naruto thought, Unless, the Nine Tribulations Sword likes doing these sort of things? During my previous life, there was no need to mention this kind of abnormality, even the Sword's Soul never appeared. Instead, this life is also a joke. It is also all right for it to appear all of a sudden, but it actually still wants to rob me?

Unless, all the effects of this Elixir will be used to feed the Nine Tribulations Sword? I won't be able to fish up even a little benefit for myself?

While he was thinking that, after the dim figure of the Nine Tribulations Sword within Naruto's Dantian had absorbed the effects of the Spiritual Elixir, the illusory figure of that sword momentarily shook, and it temporarily gave off faint rays of light. Immediately, a concentrated stream of energy was emitted out from around the sword's hilt. There was only a very thin thread of concentrated energy, and it was as fine as a strand of hair, but Naruto could instead feel a huge amount of energy contained within that single strand of energy…

Although the amount of energy was not as large when compared to that of the Spring and Autumn Elixir, the degree of its purity was more than a hundred thousand times better! From only that very little amount, Naruto's cultivation had actually risen from the peak of a Third Grade Martial Pupil to the middle of a Fourth Grade Martial Pupil!

While it was true that a large amount of energy was not required to raise the grade at such a low rank, directly increasing a grade was still enough to make Naruto shocked! If it were solely the from effects of the Spring and Autumn Elixir, no matter how, it would not have been possible for him to have his grade increased by one!

Unless, the Sword's Soul also has the ability to purify Elixir effects? Or is it some other ability? Ah, weird…

After that, the Nine Tribulations Sword lazily made a turn within his Dantian, and quietened down. The emotions which it transferred over revealed that it was actually quite dissatisfied, or rather, it held that Spring and Autumn Elixir very much in disdain, obviously finding those "meager" Elixir effects beneath its notice…

Naruto could clearly feel that the Nine Tribulations Sword had used a kind of arrogant expression, similar to a human, to express its disdain… This servant, is really quite hard to please…

Naruto slowly opened his eyes.

"Younger Martial Brother Naruto, how was it?" Obito asked hurriedly, since he did not notice any sign of Naruto having his martial powers raised.

Without knowing why, when people typically achieved a breakthrough, even for their slightest reaction, their entire body would momentarily tremble violently. However, after the Nine Tribulations Sword had transformed the effects of that Elixir, Naruto had actually broke through a grade without any indication…

Naruto's gaze was calm, but he could not help considering secretly: This, this is definitely a good method to hide things from people! If other people are to treat me as if I am at Third Grade, while I am in actual fact going to be Fifth Grade, Sixth Grade, Seventh or Eighth Grade… ah, how invigorating would it be to fight against them.

"It appears to be of not much use… I am still a Third Grade Martial Pupil. Moreover, the effects of the Elixir were too potent, and I could not control them. A lot of the Elixir's effects were wasted." Naruto endured the pleasantly surprised emotion within his heart, then frowned and sighed. Only after using all of his strength to control his emotions could Naruto begin to speak in a frustrated tone, "Ah, it is really a waste. If I had known that it would be this useless for me to eat it, it would still have been a lot better for Eldest Martial Brother, you to eat it…"

Obito widened his eyes, and it was as if his eyeballs were about to pop out, then opened his mouth, "Hurhur." After those two sounds, his face momentarily turned red, then white, and he finally stood up. With a very unsightly facial expression, he said, "I will go out for a walk."

*Sou* Obito walked out.

"Eldest Martial Brother seemed quite uncomfortable…" Both of Rock Lee's weird eyebrows moved up and down. While looking at the figure of Obito's back with a little doubt, he said," What happened to him?"

"Eldest Martial Brother appears to be very tired these few days," Naruto rubbed his chin, and profoundly said, "His mind is very tired. Looking at his facial expression, it is very likely that he has a stomach cramp. Can it be that those few days in each month actually came…"

"Orh… Eldest Martial Brother is overly worried; Ai, the same goes for this Purple Bamboo Garden of ours. Teacher does not care about anything, and everything is handled by Eldest Martial Brother. It is no wonder that his mind is fatigued." Rock Lee's conspicuous ears actually fanned up and down momentarily, and while deeply believing that he was right, said, "That is definitely hard on him. Stomach cramps… it is also possible. Mmm, Naruto, those few days in each month… which days are those? Why do I not know that Eldest Martial Brother has this kind of a problem?"

Rock Lee asked curiously.

"Erm, for this… you will know after you have grown up. Little children should not eavesdrop on people, especially if they are affairs related to adults. Do you understand?" Naruto cocked his head, seemingly lecturing in a decent manner.

Both of Rock Lee's eyebrows, one of which was higher while the other was lower, trembled a few times as if they were dancing, expressing the doubt within his mind. He resentfully muttered two sentences, and no one knew what he had said, then stopped speaking.

Naruto rolled his eyes, and another idea came into his mind.

He remembered that in his past life, Obito had once discovered a Golden Blood Root. He also remembered that Obito had complacently said, on the walls of the rocky cliff at the back mountains…

Although the Golden Blood Root could not exactly increase martial powers, it could instead broaden meridian channels! Moreover, after consuming Golden Blood Roots which were of at least fifty years old, the medicinal effects would remain on the meridian channels, and for people who were below the rank of Martial Artist, whenever they gain a grade, their meridian channels would broaden significantly!

No matter the martial skills, energy and strength would always flow through the meridian channels. With broader meridian channels, a person would be able to exhibit even stronger powers. Even if there were two people of the same rank, nothing could make up for the deficiencies between them if the width of their meridian channels were different…

Although the Golden Blood Root would only be useful for people beneath the rank of Martial Artist, a person's meridian channels was instead ingrained during that period of time; that might seem to be nothing remarkable, but it would directly determine a person's lifetime accomplishments!

In Naruto's previous life, it was due to the Golden Blood Root that Obito was able to distinguish himself from all the Disciples of Beyond The Heavens Sect…

Naruto rubbed his chin and secretly thought: I do not know if that Golden Blood Root has been discovered by Obito. If he hasn't yet discovered it, ah, why don't I gather it and have a taste…

…

The sky outside was still dark, and Naruto secretly crawled up. Looking at the bed opposite, Rock Lee was sprawled across the bed, rhythmically making modulated snoring sounds as if he was singing. Momentarily hiding a smile, Naruto swiftly got dressed and walked out of the door.

To desire becoming a man amongst men, a person has to suffer the hardest of hardships!

His own aptitude was not exactly the best! Moreover, he did not exactly put in much effort when he was a youth in his previous life, and there was already quite a distance between him and his peers. If he did not work off twice the amount of sweat as compared to others, how would he obtain accomplishments that were twice that of others?

Within several breaths, Naruto arrived at the top of the rocky cliff beyond the Purple Bamboo Garden, and he quietly stood still; his two feet were a shoulder-width's length apart, and his body was in an absolutely harmonious pose. After a moment's silence, he began to take action!

Naruto's movements were very simple, yet difficult. It was as if both his feet had grown roots, and they did not move, while his legs were straight; his arms were also drooping and stationary. Only his upper body was moving.

His head slowly leaned towards the left, then his waist slowly bent downwards to the left, and after forming a right angle, recovered his position; after that, he leaned towards the right; once again, he recovered his position, and then bent forward. Promptly, for his last movement, he bent backwards.

It was only those four movements, and he continued to repeat them. However, his bends became even lower after every cycle, and after the time it took to burn a joss stick, Naruto's body was bent like a bow which had been completely pulled back, his head was already touching the surface of the ground!

Those were waist exercises!

The strength of the waist was the most critical part of a person's body, and was therefore placed at the forefront.

After doing those four movements, Naruto immediately began to exercise his legs, followed by exercising his ankles, thighs, elbows, wrists and shoulders, to the point that his movements also became faster. Finally, his entire body was like a blade of grass in the midst of a violent storm, and was already lurching between the various range of his body's movements…

After completing six repetitions, Naruto's head and body were already giving off heat. His entire body was trickling with sweat, soaking his clothes, and droplets of sweat dripped downwards from his hair.

However, he did not even pause to rest. Turning over a hand, a chilling ray of light reflected off the item in his palm — it was a cyan steel long sword.

It was only after completely exercising the entire body's critical muscles, that practising with the sword would produce the best results. If he were to rest, the muscles and bones would return to their original taut condition, and he would not be able to perform many positions during his practise with the sword.

That was part of a minimum general knowledge that a martial artist would be required to know, and for martial artists who were capable of doing that for every single practise, there were only a rare few. Those actions represented perseverance and willpower that was capable of sustaining for a long period of time.

However, Naruto knew how important those kind of exercises before practise were. If any single little detail or small piece of muscle is to be neglected during practise, then if he was to face against enemies of the martial society in the future, during the time when he needed to use those complex and powerful techniques, he would taste the result of not practising properly.

The initial difference might be slight, but there would be a significantly large difference from the final result. On the morality behind protecting a person's own life, regardless if it was only a slight difference, that could also be the difference between life and death! At the very moment before their deaths, how many people had regretted their initial decisions of not practising their martial skills properly? That number of people was extremely large, and it was as if there were quite a few tens of thousands, or even several tens of thousands of people who regretted every year. However, during those final moments of regret, it was already completely useless!

Naruto did not wish for himself to have that kind of a regretful moment.

That was why he never dared to negligent or careless during the time when he was practising! No matter which kind of martial technique, even if they were considered to be the most fundamental movements, he would also practise until it was most suitable and perfect.

Sword techniques, fist techniques, leg techniques and palm techniques, after Naruto had completely practised them several times, a slight bit of brightness then slowly began to rise from the east.

Naruto strolled to the top of the rocky cliff. Facing the east, he overlapped both his hands and placed them above his Dantian, then sat down cross-legged and began to breathe out stale air while breathing in fresh air!

It was only purely breathing out stale air and breathing in clean air, but between each intake and output of air, there was something rather unusual. When he breathed in, it was as if there was a slight trace of purple in the air from the Heavens and Earth being breathed into his mouth. Then, with his mouth closed, his Dantian spiralled a complete rotation. After that, the breath of air slowly permeated into the five viscera and six bowels within his body. When everything was still, Naruto then opened his mouth and violently exhaled!

A long exhalation of that mouthful of air!

From within his mouth, a slight hint of dull colour in the air could be vaguely seen as Naruto exhaled that mouthful of air out. After completely exhaling his breath, he closed his mouth; his Dantian again spiralled a complete rotation…

Immediately, he once again continued to begin breathing in and breathing out…

That kind of breathing technique, as well as Naruto's earlier method of exercising his body, they were both engraved on the body of the Nine Tribulations Sword in Naruto's previous life. Performing them would completely get rid of the body's impurities, and absorb from the innate true flames of the Sun!

To prepare for his practise of the Nine Tribulations Of The Nine Heavens Divine Technique in the future, he was training his foundations!

Naruto was very well versed in the teachings of the Nine Tribulations Transcending the Nine Heavens Technique. If he were to train at this time then there would be no mistakes, but the only problem was that he could not train at this time!

Because the Nine Tribulations Transcending the Nine Heavens Technique has one major requirement. Knowing the teachings alone would not have any use. You must have the sword along with the teachings; then you must absorb the mystical energy from the sword to have the power to practice Nine Tribulations Transcending Nine Heavens Technique!

Moreover, each sword fragment had a different mystical energy.

If you were to practice without a sword fragment, then it would be likely that your internal energy would burn and you would die!

Secondly, Naruto's body, in its current condition, did not meet the requirements to practice the Nine Tribulations Transcending the Nine Heavens Technique. Only when his body reaches the Martial Warrior level, and all of his meridians channels are opened and his Chakra goes beyond the primary natural cycle and enters the higher natural cycle. At that time, he would have the ability to practice the Nine Tribulations Transcending the Nine Heavens Technique.

Dawn was approaching in the east and the light was appearing on the horizon. Naruto took a deep breath and slowly absorbed the energy. He stood still for a moment, feeling a warmth in his body, a feeling of pleasure that cannot be described in words…

He continued to stand like that, squinting his eyes and looking in the direction of the Gathering Clouds Peak, the place where the first fragment of the Nine Tribulations Sword lies quietly buried under the earth.

I must quickly acquire it!

His eyes sparkled.

He looked for a while before taking his gaze away. He carefully looked in all four directions for a moment. After verifying that there was no one around, he started to move. Suddenly, he slowly descended from the cliff. His eyes constantly scanning, looking carefully at every place. Because, if Obito did not lie, then on this rock face was the where the Golden Blood Herb grows!

The Golden Blood Root is actually not a supreme elixir. However, even in the Upper Three Heavens Territory, this is the kind of thing you cannot buy with money. All the big clans, need to use this root to help set the foundation for their descendants.

Children from these big clans, from birth, they were already fed the Golden Blood Root! Taking the advantage of the energy from child's mother that hadn't dissipated yet, a peak martial expert can help the child absorb all the energy of the root. Then this child would definitely become a talented martial cultivator of earth-shattering potential!

If this rare talent worked hard, his future ability would be beyond imagination! And these achievements would be the direct result of this one elixir that was used when he was a child.

Martial students from powerful clans learn quicker because of one main reason: they never lack in cultivation resources!

On this earth, there was no lack of heaven-sent talents! Talents were those with more opportunities to succeed than other people!

But there were a few things that could not be denied: in this world, there were more talents that would die young or become unable to advance than those that can push forward and succeed!

I may not be a talent, but I want to change. To make myself even more talented than those heaven-sent talents! I want to make it so that when those talents stand next to me, they can no longer be called talents.

Naruto slowly walked down, even though his whole body is clinging to the smooth vertical cliff face. He was like a rock worm, steadily climbing straight up.

This was because in his previous life, when he killed a certain martial artist, on his body Naruto found a technique called Unholy Movement and he thought it was a useful technique, so he practiced it.

Right then, he was using it; even though his current body never practiced it, he could still force it…

A rustling sound suddenly came from below, a gust of rancid air came upon him. Naruto's eyebrows rose and his eyes widened. His right hand clung tight to the rock face. His whole body flattened against the rock face.

Szzz!

A poisonous snake with a bright colorful body slithered across his body!

If he had not move earlier, he would have been bitten by the snake.

A smile appeared on Naruto's face. This place definitely has the Golden Blood Herb. Moreover, it was the type that is more than 100 years old!

This snake's body had more than 7 colors, was as large as an arm, and its head had one color. It was a Seven-Colored Golden Radiance Snake. Wild Golden Blood Herb might have a Seven-Colored Golden Radiance Snake protecting it. This was the reason why, after seeing the Seven-Colored Golden Radiance Snake, Naruto came to the conclusion that the Golden Blood Herb was here. That type of snake has very tough skin; normal weapons would have difficulty causing harm to it, it was also especially poisonous. Normally the weak spot of any snake is 7 cm from its head, but with that kind of snake, it was not.

Its weak spot was the radiance on its head!

Golden Blood Herb of over a hundred years old would exude a very strong aroma. This aroma was especially attractive to the Seven-Colored Golden Radiance Snake. The aroma could help the Seven-Colored Golden Radiance Snake shed its skin without any pain or suffering!

To the Seven-Colored Golden Radiance Snake, eating the Golden Blood Root would not have any benefit. The smell was what it loved.

The sound started again. The Seven-Colored Golden Radiance Snake turned back, aiming in the direction in the direction of Naruto and headed straight for him. It beat its tail with a bang on the rock face and sent its body forward towards Naruto, wanting to bite him. Naruto's gaze narrowed and his body was completely still. He waited until it was about a meter away, then he moved extremely quickly. One could only see that his body suddenly moved to the right. Then it arched higher. His whole body become contorted in an unnatural position. The Seven-Colored Golden Radiance Snake shot right by his body, missing him barely. In the blink of an eye, Naruto's two fingers formed a sword, concentrating all of his Chakra to them and ferociously stabbed the snake at its weak spot.

Pow!

A paralyzing scream rang out and the Seven-Colored Golden Radiance Snake writhed painfully, with the radiant spot on its head bleeding black blood, mixing with the seven colors. It rolled from the cliff face straight to the ground.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. He turned in the direction the snake came from and carefully climbed over. In truth, he could go faster, but he was afraid he might inadvertently damage the Golden Blood Root…

"A Golden Blood Root of more than a hundred years old…" Naruto was full of excitement. This was truly a treasure. Only a root of fifty years would be enough to get good results, moreover it would help sustain future progress. Then a root of more than a hundred years would give what kind of results?!

Moving a little further down, Naruto dreamily smelled a faint aroma. It was extremely calming and refreshing, like the smell of the Snow Wind Orchid. Although its aroma was not strong, it had a lingering effect on people. Naruto was joyful. Normal Golden Blood Root had always been without any color or flavor, only the kind that's more than a hundred years old would have a faint smell. This smell was actually not very different from other aromatic Herbs. If it were to grow where other plants thrived, then it would be indistinguishable.

Luckily, this one was growing on a cliff face! An aroma like this on a cliff face definitely stands out.

Naruto carefully inched himself. He could see on a rock a few blood red leaves on a rock, gently swinging in the wind. Beneath these rocks is a hint of the herb showed. It was also red like blood.

This is truly Golden Blood Root!

Climbing down a little further, setting himself in a steady position, Naruto pulled out a sword. He concentrated his Chakra into the sword and then he stabbed it down into the rock face with all his might. Half of the sword went into the rock. His two legs carefully stepped on the sword. Pulling out another sword, he started digging cautiously.

He brought two swords with him, one of them belonged to Rock Lee. Early this morning, he snuck out with it. Rock Lee was still asleep at the time. If he knew that his precious sword was used as a digging tool, what would he think?

One part digging, one part thinking, Naruto could not fathom this feeling of excitement. This feeling surprised him: My elder martial brother was always truthful and kind, not the kind of person to play others like this…

Not long after, Naruto's body was soaked in sweat. All the digging effort revealed a cave, small enough to force a body through. With difficulty he entered the cave, breathing a sigh of relief, but he did not rest. Immediately, he took his hands and pushed away all of the red leaves of the Golden Blood Herb to find its root. He paid special attention to keep a safe distance of 3 meters around him and then started the excavation.

With every rock he dug up, Naruto carefully placed them next to him to keep them from falling down. When he could no longer keep them from falling, he started to put them on the side of the cliff, letting them fall down along the cliff, being careful to make as little noise as possible to avoid anyone's attention…

Although this area seemed desolate, it was better to be careful. No need to invite unnecessary trouble that could be avoided.

The digging took over an hour. Naruto's whole body was soaked in sweat. Finally, the top of the Golden Blood Root was visible, radiantly a hazy, dreamy light as if its body had blood moving within.

The whole Golden Blood Herb, even its skin, was not damaged in anyway. The root was intact and fat like two fingers. He took his hands and gently touched it. It felt like touching a swollen ripe peach.

"This is really the good stuff! It looks like this Golden Blood Root is almost two hundred years old. No wonder why in the previous life, Obito progressed so quickly… that punk! So it was because he found such a precious thing."

Now it belongs to me!

Naruto panted heavily, scanning the root from top to bottom, his eyes full of happiness. In truth, he never imagined that it could be this good!

Within the Golden Blood Root is the liquid elixir. The older the age, the more liquid there is and the better the result. And only this liquid elixir has true results. If digging with ignorance, once you accidentally cause the root to have a scratch, the liquid inside will quickly pour out. Then, even swallowing the whole root will be the same as eating any other root.

Naruto stood on the rock face, normalizing his breath to calm down. He put the Golden Blood Root into his mouth and chewed gently; a stream of cool liquid poured out into his mouth. The liquid had a golden color, glimmering with light.

The name Golden Blood Root actually came from this. This is truly golden blood!

The moment the liquid elixir entered his body, it slowly spread through all the meridian channels in his body. Right at this time, the sword spirit in his dantian suddenly exuded a joyful feeling. It seemed to suddenly have burst out of his dantian and consumed all of the liquid elixir before his meridians had a chance to absorb it.

Naruto could not believe the feeling of satisfaction let out by the Nine Tribulations sword spirit. Then it slowly returned to the dantian; an action like it had just went for a walk after it had a feast.

Even though he was still clinging to the cliff face, Naruto let out a laugh. This thing actually has a personality, eh?

Immediately a golden light flashed on the body of the sword spirit. At this time, it was clearly much brighter than it was before. This radiance immediately disappeared. From the sword, a cold energy radiating a dark light poured out and went forth into the meridian channels all over his body. Naruto was stunned as he saw a light shine on his skin and then disappear. All of his meridians inflated like a toad and then deflated again and then inflated again… He now looked like a balloon, looking like he was being blown up and deflated and blown up again…

This happened continuously nine times, when finally it all passed.

The medicinal power of the Golden Blood Root Elixir, after going through the sword spirit, was transformed and finally joined with his meridians…

Testing his meridians by activating them, Naruto now felt they were extremely malleable, like durable balloons that could not be broken. At this Naruto was crazily happy.

This harvest will create a foundation for all my achievements in life! A truly large harvest… Even though the martial power did not increase, it transformed all the meridians. And my road toward the True Way will be much easier!

If other people's meridian channels were small ponds, then there is no doubt that mine is a deep well. This is the difference in our nature!

He was not done celebrating when he felt the sword spirit inside him suddenly exude a light of great brilliance to the point that it made Naruto felt like his body became translucent. After that, his dantian had a feeling of pain; the light disappeared within the blink of an eye. But Naruto knew that something mysterious was happening…

Suddenly, within him, these verses appeared:

"The Way of the Heavens without love, then all things will be destroyed;

The Way of the Heavens with love, then all things will be created.

The Way of the Sword without love, kills people;

The Way of the Sword with love, the heart values life.

With love, without love, it depends on you.

Nine lives, nine tribulations, without love is also with love.

With love is without love;

With love is also without love;

Without love is also with love;

With love, without love, the understanding is hidden within.

That is the Way of the Heavens.

With people, come martial arts, take martial arts to learn the Way of the Heavens, and in the end is transcendence.

In the secular human world, the secret to the Way of the Heavens is also there.

Human emotions, the root of the Way of the Heavens…"

Naruto's whole body started to shake, his emotions were shaken up. His head dizzy, his eyes blurry; he almost fell off the cliff face. At this cliff face, without any witnesses, his whole body convulsed almost uncontrollably.

In his previous life, he worked hard to cultivate without hesitating to use the dark arts to push forward, killing to advance his Sword Art. But he still could not understand the pinnacle of Martial Arts. At this time, Naruto realized where he was at.

So in the previous life, I was wrong to cultivate the Way of the Sword without love. This was one hundred percent wrong.

This was the overall principle verse of the Nine Tribulations Transcending the Nine Heavens Technique!

What is without love or with love? All is in the heart. The heart without love, that is the Way of the Sword without love. But the heart with love, that is the Way of the Sword with love.

Deep cultivation is the Way of the Heavens!

In my previous life, it was clear that I was full of love, but time and time again, I tried to destroy love. No wonder I could not succeed!

One and the same goal, but two different roads. One to become a Saint and another to become a Demon! How to cultivate, it's all within the heart…

"Hinata, it turns out I was wrong! From the beginning, I was wrong! And so, this led to the tragedy of our lives."

Naruto faced the sky with pain in his heart. Oh Nine Tribulations Sword! Oh Nine Tribulations Sword! How you toyed with me! You caused me to destroy a lifetime all because of a misdirection, only to bring me back again!

In the end, should I hate you or thank you?

In Naruto's emotional state, he did not realize that at the tip of the Nine Tribulations sword spirit in dantian, there were a few black spots, which were difficult to detect!


	5. Chapter 5

The sun just rose, outside of the Purple Bamboo Garden, two people could be seen approaching. One young man, one young woman. They both wore white clothes, their sleeves fluttering with the wind in a forest of purple bamboo, making them seem unearthly. The young man had eyebrows like swords, his eyes were bright. His appearance was heroic, but there was an air of arrogance and confidence on his face that causes others to feel pressured. The young lady was about 17 or 18 years old, with a perfect beauty like a painting. She was tall and lithe, with a serene face, making people who looked at her think of the word "gentle." Those who do not know her personality would have this impression.

A weak appearance, but a strong posture; an appearance of unyielding bravery, but a feeling of flexibility like water.

"Disciples Dan Kato of Locking Clouds Peak and Tsunade of Gathering Clouds Peak, following Masters' orders to see Martial Uncle Meng. Martial Brothers, please help notify the Master." The young man in white called out.

His voice traveled far without dissipating, showing that he has cultivated high internal energy.

Locking Clouds Peak is the second-ranking peak, and today, came here with Gathering Clouds Peak. But today they were disappointed, because no one from the Purple Bamboo Garden answered them.

At this time Rock Lee was cultivating with Obito deep in the Purple Bamboo Forest, therefore they could not hear noises from the outside. As for Kakashi, it was not known where he went. Therefore, there was no one to answer.

Dan Kato called out again, but still no one answered. Grimacing, he unhappily said, "The people of this Purple Bamboo Garden, are they still not up yet?! How come I can't even hear a breath?"

After hearing him, the young lady furrowed her eyebrows, and said softly, "Junior Martial Brother Dan, please be careful with what you say. This is Purple Bamboo Forest, do not let others hear that. It could make Junior Martial Uncle Kakashi unhappy."

"Junior Martial Uncle Kakashi? Ha ha…" the young man laughed bluntly, but said with a low voice, "This Martial Uncle Meng, I heard that if people rode on his head, he wouldn't get mad… this kind of person, lacking in courage like this, I cannot fathom how he managed to become one of the Ten Great Disciples back then!"

After this, the young lady became scared and said, "Junior Martial Brother Dan, before coming here, what did your parents tell you? They said, when we talk, we have to be one thousand times more careful. Why is Junior Martial Brother…"

She did not finish her sentence when a cold 'hmmph' rung out from behind them.

A cold voice went forward, "How did my master manage to become one of the Ten Great Disciples is none of your concern. You are not in the position to ask that question. However, I want to ask you, how did a disrespectful egomaniac become a disciple of Locking Clouds Peak? Do you have a lot of money? Or is your father powerful?"

The voice was ice cold and the questions raised sounded cruel, startling all those who heard it. The gaze behind the voice was unsettling.

The two were unnerved; they quickly turned around in the direction of the voice, to see a young man covered in grime. At first glance he seemed dirty, but there was a keen light radiating from his cold stare. This youth has a thin and tall build, with sword-like brows and thin lips. Initially, he did not seem handsome or heroic, but looking carefully, one could see something special in him. His lips curved, forming a down-turned bow, creating an expression of arrogance, giving a feeling of brutal aggression. Now, his eyes were like two swords; his gaze so sharp, that others dare not look at!

This youth was Naruto!

After Naruto ate the Golden Blood Root, he continued to climb down to the bottom of the cliff. At any rate, the gallbladder of the Seven Colors Golden Radiance Snake was a very rare item. It could be used to cure poison; there was no point in wasting it.

After taking care of everything, he went in full circle and then went back home. He did not expect to see two people standing in front of the Purple Bamboo Garden. One of these two is talking rudely about my master! In anger, he coldly responded. As this person announced his name, Naruto knew right away that this was the only son of the Master of Locking Clouds Peak, Don Kato.

Naruto responded in kind, you badmouth my master, I'll badmouth your father!

No matter if it was the previous life or this life, Naruto was never willing to lose to anybody.

"Who are you?" Dan Kato asked with a crestfallen face.

Naruto laughed heartily and like that, he quietly looked at Dan Kato with a mysterious gaze. Earlier he already said 'my master…', therefore revealing who he was, but it was surprising that Dan Kato still asked a question like that.

Clearly, he is in awe of my power; his spirit is shaken up. A situation like this, there is no point in answering.

A person like this is not worth my respect!

At the same time, he also noted quietly that anger caused the sword spirit to rise and manifest itself needlessly. This situation cannot happen again…

Moreover, everything can be compensated for. All regrets can be done once more.

The Naruto of now was like this poem:

A horse enjoying the spring wind, runs faster.

A person who encounters a happy event, has a clear state of mind.

When elation rises, one's magnificence is boasted.

A cheerful book, closes faster.

The world is beautiful, life is full of hope, how can one scoff at that? Even if you want to, you cannot.

He especially paid attention to the way his sword spirit manifested itself uncontrollably, which can lead to unwanted situations.

With my current low martial power, it is perhaps best to leave it as it is.

"Are you a disciple of Purple Bamboo Forest?" noticing that his opponent didn't answer, Dan Kato asked once again.

Naruto shook his head and looked in the direction of the young lady, not wanting to pay any attention to Dan Kato. Even though his personality has changed, his arrogance was steeped to the bones. He didn't want to spare another glance at a person like Dan Kato who couldn't even understand what other people were saying.

Dan Kato was livid; his opponent had looked down on him without any tact. It brought out his desire to kill!

"Excuse me, you, are you Naruto, are you Junior Martial Brother Naruto Yang, disciple of Junior Martial Uncle Kakashi?" The young lady smiled and asked gently, in a most ceremonious manner.

"It is I. Are you Elder Martial Sister Tsunade, daughter of Older Martial Uncle Sect Master of Gathering Clouds Peak?" Naruto gave a short laugh. One glance earlier was already enough to let him know.

Indeed, this beautiful and serene young lady was Tsunade, the daughter of Sect Master of Beyond the Heavens Sect.

The number one beauty of Beyond the Heavens Sect.

Also, the poor girl that was tricked by Obito in the previous life. Even though that marriage did not become a tragedy of the sect, it still was an event that brought many regrets.

"So, it is Junior Martial Brother Naruto Yang," said Tsunade smiling softly. "Only, you are not as people said. Earlier I had almost not recognize you."

"Surely Elder Martial Sister is joking," Naruto said casually. "Naruto is Naruto, there is nothing different. Only the rumors were erroneous."

In Tsunade's mind, she felt that there was something mysterious. She was the daughter of the Sect Master, as well as the acknowledged number one beauty of the Beyond the Heavens Sect. Any young disciple of the sect who meets her would get tongue-tied and befuddled. And yet, this Naruto time and time again has looked upon me no differently than a block of wood.

Actually, it is not because Naruto did not see her beauty. It was because his heart already belonged to Hinata and all his thoughts are filled with longing for her. There was no room to spare. Even if Tsunade was a fairy, in his heart it would make no difference…

Though Tsunade didn't like the suffocating feeling of people clinging and sucking up to her every day, being completely ignored by a person was a first for her. Moreover, she heard of the three disciples of Junior Martial Uncle Kakashi. The first was very stable, deep thinking, hard-working; a youthful talent for the sect. The second disciple, Naruto, had an odd personality and was an introvert. The third, Rock Lee, was someone who completely didn't know his place…

But today, she could see that this young man was not an 'introvert.' Although it was said that he was a little 'extreme', but if you looked carefully, you could feel a hint of arrogance, but… this arrogance was not that of a normal person!

Dan Kato was one of those who secretly admired Tsunade; she had been his object of affection for a long time now. He always imagined that one day he could marry her. Then not only would he have the beauty, he would also become the son-in-law of the Sect Master…

However, unexpectedly, Tsunade was walking with Naruto, laughing and talking. A flame of jealousy erupted within Dan Kato. He noticed that Tsunade seemed to be dazed, with her eyes fixed on Naruto. The scene gave a feeling of 'love at first sight'…

The flame of jealousy reached his head and he even forgot the reason why they came; he walked angrily forward and inserted himself between the two. Laughing coldly, "And here, I thought it was someone else, turns out it's just the retard of Beyond the Heavens Sect!"

"Who's the retard calling a retard?" Naruto asked angrily with his cold gaze. His spirit suddenly became powerful and oppressive.

"The retard, of course, who else?" Under Naruto's oppressive spirit, Dan Kato did not back down; without thinking, he answered directly.

"Not bad, a retard is actually badmouthing me," Naruto said with admiration, "This person… you're actually not that simple. A person who can understand what his good points are, in this wide world, there are certainly not that many. I really didn't think that Elder Martial Brother Dan belongs in that group. I, Naruto, am sincerely in awe."

Dan Kato was momentarily trapped; he felt sick to his stomach.

Tsunade, standing to one side, was barely able to hold in her laughter. Even though she tried to control herself, those phoenix eyes had widened like a full moon…

"You want to die?!" Angered to the point of madness, Dan Kato suddenly he pulled out his sword. "Pull out your sword! I challenge you to a duel!"

Being shamed in front of the person you love, how could Dan Kato not go crazy?

"No, thanks. I don't need to duel. I admit…" Naruto spoke seriously. "I am not as petty as you."

Immediately, he added, "In that… I am truly not equal to you…"

Tsunade, at this time, couldn't hold it anymore and laughed out loudly. However, she regretted it right after. These two were already at each other's throats; was her laughing was not like pouring oil on the fire? She quickly covered her mouth with her hands, but still, her eyes were laughing.

Dan Kato got even more enraged, cursing loud, "Disrespectful…!"

Naruto also didn't let it go and responded, "Disrespectful, who are you talking about?"

"Disrespectful cursing…" Dan Kato did not finish his sentence when he realized he fell into Naruto's trap again. Embarrassed, he screamed out,

"I'll kill you!"

With that, he advanced forward with his sword.

Naruto continually moved backwards with an expression of terror, he yelled," You're crazy! You dare try to kill a martial brother in broad daylight?"

But at the same time, while backing up, Naruto had been paying attention to the whole situation. He quietly focused his Chakra to his foot, a stream of pure energy poured out from his Yong Quan Point at the bottom of his foot. In the blink of an eye, the energy seeped into the ground.

Punk! You have carelessly underestimated your opponent. Wait and see how your father mocks you to death…

Just by going with the flow was enough for Naruto to mock him to death…

Seeing the terror in his opponent's face, Dan Kato thought: This retard, I only pulled out my sword and you're already that scared… With that thought, all grievances in his heart disappeared. His heroic aura began to rise once again.

On the part of Tsunade, she forgot to close her mouth. Her eyes were wide open in disbelief. This Naruto… Even though none of his seniors were around, he shouldn't be this way! Not only did he not dare to fight, he was so scared, he didn't know what to do. Seeing him from earlier, it didn't seem like he was this sort of person.

Faster than could be said, Naruto yelled out, "Someone save me!"

Soon after, as if going limp from fear, he started falling to the ground on his backside. However, at this time, one of Dan Kato's feet had stepped into a strange hole on the ground. The ground was clearly very flat, but for some reason, when Dan Kato stepped on it, the hole suddenly appeared.

The shape of the hole was actually the same as Dan Kato's foot. As soon as he stepped on it, he discovered that the hole was very deep; moreover, the hole was actually much larger underneath the surface…

There was a pitiful cry! When Dan Kato ran forward, he exerted all of his energy; being overconfident, he didn't take any caution. So with a forceful stride, he fell straight to the ground. A loud crack was heard, his ankle was clearly broken.

In his experienced eyes, Naruto only needed a glance to see all the weaknesses of Dan Kato's martial arts. Even if the trap he set was simple, the opportunity was perfect. If Dan Kato had been able to escape… then he would no longer have been Dan Kato.

With a 'pow!', Dan Kato fell forward. It's not clear if it was by chance, but Dan Kato fell straight forward under Naruto's crotch in one smooth motion. Naruto, at the time, being 'so scared', was falling straight toward the ground and ended up sitting on Dan Kato's neck…

In an awkward position, Dan Kato cried pitifully, but every time his mouth opened he ended up gnawing into the ground.

When anyone tries to cry out, they opened their mouths wide. But Dan Kato was an especially spoiled child who was afraid of pain; his mouth opened even larger with more than thirty teeth exposed. The mud there was extremely hard. If swallowed, it could really jam up your throat…

Naruto, sitting on Dan Kato's neck, screamed toward the sky, "Oouuuch… Such pain, you're biting my butt…"

Dan Kato was now half dead; he should be the one crying out. But before he could make a sound, this guy who was sitting on him, without any injuries, had already beat him to it. If based on the pitifulness of the cry, then Naruto's injuries must have been a dozen times worse than Dan Kato's.

A scared and confused Tsunade rubbed her eyes, she could not believe what she was seeing, she continued to rub her eyes. Everything happened so quickly. Before she had a chance to react, it had all ended. Only, the results were beyond her imagination. One side, forceful and aggressive just a moment ago, was now laying on the ground, having difficulty even making a sound. The other, terrified and backing away earlier, was now screaming in pain.

Even if Tsunade was smarter, it was of no use; she was only seventeen or eighteen. She wouldn't have been able to make sense of the situation.

Her mouth was opened wide and her eyes were round; her fingered shakily pointed at the two, but her mouth could not form a word. It was truly beyond words… How could such a thing happen? How could such smooth ground suddenly cave in like so? It was truly mysterious. And how could Dan Kato unluckily step into it just then? This hole wasn't that deep; with his abilities, how could Junior Martial Brother Dan have fallen down? Moreover, in such a bad way.

At this time, Naruto, while calling out in pain, was holding onto his belt, trying to stand up with some difficulty. Looking at his actions, it seemed that his injuries were serious.

Earlier, did I see how he was injured? Tsunade was full of doubt, but she still ran forward. "Junior Martial Brother Naruto, stop squirming, let me help you."

Before she even finished, Naruto let out another pitiful scream. Acting like his waist hurt unbearably and that his body could not stand up; he raised his butt high up, only to fall down again, hard this time…

Once again sitting on Dan Kato's neck, this time sitting down even more cruelly!

Dan Kato, after all his troubles, was finally free from the butt; he had only managed to lift his head for a breath when unexpectedly, that butt fell upon him a second time bringing with it the whole 'army of heaven.'

Pow!

Such tragedy! Dan Kato just lifted his head and now his face was smashed deeper into the ground. Right after, a 'crack' rang out… Luckily there were not many rocks in the area, otherwise, one would dare not predict how bad the outcome would be. Even so, the bones of his nose had been broken…

Tsunade had just reached her arm out when she fell into a stupor once again. Her body was in position to help but she was frozen, with eyes and mouth wide open… What a pity for her. At this moment, her brain seemed to have shorted…

The result was two people on the ground. One was sitting on the neck of the other person, crying and yelling with great pain. He was twisting his behind upon Dan Kato's neck, turning it into a pretzel…

On Dan Kato's part, he was laying on the ground, mouth full of dirt, unable to say a word. His throat was also full of dirt; with great difficulty, he could only moan 'Oh…Oh…'

At that moment, Dan Kato, from his thighs to his ankles, was still in the pit,with his body on the ground forming a parallelogram… One could imagine how much he was suffering at that time.

His ankle was swelling up faster than the naked eye could see, like a balloon… His remaining leg was now bristling and trembling fiercely…

After a long moment of being shaken up, Tsunade finally moved forward and pulled Naruto up. She saw only his pale white face, his trembling body soaked in sweat. He said resenfully:

"Elder Martial Sister Tsunade, did you see that? Dan Kato is too much! The sect prohibits disciples from fighting each other. Yet Dan Kato still wanted to take his sword and kill me! My little life just now was completely in his hands! … fortunately, my luck was good. Elder Martial Sister Tsunade, did you two come here to kill me?"

Finishing his sentence, Naruto suddenly became guarded, like facing enemies. He had a wary and fearful look towards Tsunade. He said hurriedly, "Elder Martial Sister Tsunade, I didn't do anything bad. You cannot… here… in broad daylight, the sun is still shining…"

On Tsunade's pretty face, there was clearly a dark aura… This guy is talking like this again, as if he were about to get assaulted or something…

"How could that be? We are on orders from father to give message to Junior Martial Uncle Kakashi, inviting the senior to come over for an important discussion… geez…"

Tsunade patted her forehead, her eyes rolled. She finally remember the reason for coming there.

"But still, I am scared…" Naruto leaned on Tsunade, his whole body seemed to have gone limp in fear, his entire body weight rested on her. Weeping and saying, "I… I don't have any power or backing, my martial arts cultivation isn't that high. In the sect, my position is the lowest. But Gathering Clouds Peak and Locking Clouds Peak have many disciples and is above all, if… I poked in the wrong place, I fear I would be forced… I would be forced to leave…"

"Never!" Tsunade said freely. "This is nothing!"

What Poor little miss did not know at this time was that Junior Martial Brother Dan's leg was broken, bones were crushed. Laying on the ground, waiting to be save…

"Then… if the sect asks, Elder Martial Sister Tsunade will stand on my side and be my truthful witness?"

Naruto continued to buy time, to let Dan Kato experience the most immense suffering. He begged, "The previous events, from beginning to end, you've seen it all for yourself. Dan Kato dared to insult my master, right? When I arrived, he called me a retard, right? Then, he wanted to fight with me and when I yielded to him, he even wanted to kill me, right? …he drew his sword, slashing murderously, trying to kill me without any mercy, right? I almost got killed, right?"

He continuously used the word 'right?' in an extremely pitiful voice, mindfully leading her thoughts step by step. Tsunade naturally listened to his words, naturally remembering, thinking about each scene as it happened without any automony and nodded repeatedly. Everything happened as Naruto had said, without any deviation.

Tsunade could not help but be a little disgruntled, "This Dan Kato was really too much…"

Regardless of anything else, insulting Junior Martial Uncle Kakashi alone was already a big crime, let alone wanting to kill a fellow disciple. Only, the results turned out to be the opposite of what Dan Kato expected…

Naruto was so scared, wiping off a cold sweat, "Luckily, he accidentally fell… otherwise… Elder Martial Sister Tsunade, otherwise I would have…"

He stopped there and did not say anything else. His gaze towards Tsunade was full of warmth. Only, the phrase "he accidentally fell" was truly wicked…

"If not, then you would have been killed." Poor little miss was clearly being led. She simply added, "There's really nothing more to say."

"That's true!" Naruto clapped his hands strongly, showing signs of happiness, agreeing with her. "It is only Elder Martial Sister Tsunade who truly has great insight and upholds justice, with fairness. Truly, very wise."

Tsunade felt there was something wrong; but thinking back, nothing wrong was said, therefore she dreamily nodded her head. Moreover, she was only a young girl. With so many praises, her thinking had become muddled.

At that moment, Dan Kato finally lifted his head. Even though he was injured, his ears were not deaf. He heard everything the two said from beginning to end. Hearing Naruto's lies, which had unexpectedly turned him into a bad guy, he almost spat up blood and died.

However, in his throat, there was still a large mass of sticky mud. Even if he wanted to spit blood, he could not. Enduring the pain, he pulled the mud from his mouth with hands. As for the mud in his throat, he couldn't remove it. At that point, he could no longer hold his breath. He could only force his throat to straighten out and swallow the mud down… There was really no other way. Otherwise, Dan Kato would have died from suffocation waiting to get that mud out.

Naruto and Tsunade stared at Dan Kato as he stretched his neck; it looked like a tiny snake swallowing a small egg. It slowly went down and finally ended with a 'gulp' and disappeared. The neck returned to normal. The two spectators rolled their eyes and swallowed…

This was… truly disgusting…

"Plop!" Dan Kato finally spat out a clump of blood that was in his throat. His breathing was difficult and strained, making him temporarily forget the pain of his broken leg. Ah, it seems that human misfortune does brings happiness…

Ultimately, this did not last long. An intense pain had pass from his thigh. In addition, the mud that was just then swallowed was causing burning pain in his stomach…

Now, Dan Kato was just mad that he did not die… He had just learned something called 'agony.'

Even though he wanted to curse at someone, he could barely breathe.

A moment later, Dan Kato finally raised his head and looked at Naruto with a menacing expression:

"Naruto! Just you wait, I vow to never let this go! In this life, one of us must die! Owww…"

As he spoke, his body could not stop shaking. He had intended to show his manliness in front of the woman of his dreams, but he could not help it…

Trembling, Naruto spoke softly, "Elder Martial Sister Tsunade, you see, you see…"

Tsunade comforted him, "Junior Martial Brother Naruto, don't worry, I have seen everything. How can I let others persecute you? Junior Martial Brother Dan is just venting his anger, you don't need to take it to heart…"

Laying on the ground, Dan Kato called out unnaturally, "Ohh… Oh…!" His two eyes rolled in disbelief, staring at Tsunade, and finally closed:

"Everything you already have seen? Everything of what?! You, too, have mocked me to death ahhh…ahhh… ahhh"

At that time, Tsunade finally discovered something out of the ordinary. She screamed in a terrified voice, "Junior Martial Brother Li… your leg?!"

She had barely finished speaking and still terrified, she immediately was shocked by another reality. "Your nose!"

Dan Kato, with a face full of tears, banged his head on the ground. Oh, mother! She finally figured it out, then. And she is worried about my injuries… With his emotions liberated, he unexpectedly cried out loud, "OH! OH! OH!"

The emerging talent of Beyond the Heavens Sect, son of the second most powerful person, was crying in front of everyone… This scene made Tsunade extremely confused. She could only widen her beautiful eyes, truly not understanding the whole situation. Was it really that much pain to make him like this or what? We are people of Jiang Hu; we rather shed blood than tears…

Tsunade did not know that Dan Kato became that way because of the sorrow, the injustice, in addition to the unbearable pain from wounds on his body… but in fact, the thing that made him most sad, came from her.

At this moment, from Purple Bamboo Forest came a noise. Two people came running out:

"Who's making all this noise? Ah, Naruto? What's wrong with you?" Before they finished asking, Obito and Rock Lee had reached the scene. Only after stopping did they have a chance to look. The two new arrivals stared with gaping mouths.

"Elder Martial Brother. You must defend me!" Naruto called out indignantly. Since there was already a shield there, why not use it? This was a good opportunity to put misfortune on another. When dogs are biting each other, everyone wants to watch.

"Earlier, I almost got killed by him… Right in front of our home, it's this guy! First he insulted master and then he called us retards…"

After hearing that, Obito's expression became serious. Even though he was normally a composed person, this was inexcusable. If he reacted with indifference to someone who humiliated his teacher, how could he face anyone? How could he compete for the rank of top disciple? Moreover, Obito's nature was cocky and self-aggrandizing. He always put all effort into being ahead of his peers. He took his senior position as a goal to strive for more. Then how could he today let someone call him a retard?

Even if he wanted to endure it, he could not! "Is that true?!"

Obito's countenance was grim. His eyes narrowed. He said those words solemnly, not with anger but rather self-respect.

Noting that events were about to take a turn for the worse, Tsunade hurriedly stood up to greet him,

"Elder Martial Brother Obito, we are at fault in this, Junior Martial Brother Dan is still young. He does not know how to hold his tongue. We hope, Elder Martial Brother Obito, can hold back your anger. Do not break the peace between fellow sect members."

Tsunade was extremely humble when speaking these words. Moreover, she was also very charming. What she said was basically the means to neutralizing the situation; however, with her words, she also incriminated Dan Kato!

As for Obito, his eyes lit up. Before him was a face of heavenly beauty. He glimpsed in a greedy manner, then said with a serious face,

"So it is Junior Martial Sister Tsunade. If Junior Martial Sister Tsunade says so, then I will not pursue this matter any further."

Though after saying so, he still seemed upset.

Right after Tsunade had stood up, Dan Kato, who was covered behind her earlier, was revealed. One could only see tears and snot running down his face, which was covered in blood. His form so tragic, that he seemed better off dead than alive. This gave Obito quite a fright and he cried out,

"Who is this?! And even more so, he is still… crying?! He's quickly losing face… is he not afraid to lose face completely? … #$ &%*, so in the end, who managed to put him down so easily?"

He turned back to Naruto, only to see his whole body in dirt and disheveled, but with nothing out of the ordinary… But in fact, the dirt on Naruto came from digging for the Golden Blood Root…

Did Naruto cause these injuries? At that time, Obito did not recognize the person beaten to a pulp, with blood all over him, was Dan Kato. His psyche was still in shock. But his 'I will not pursue this matter any further' had come back to trouble him.

"Obito! I can't believe even you want to persecute me! Persecute, your grandfather!" Dan Kato cursed between his hacking coughs. There was almost enough resentment to cough up blood. He said, "You, him and her, as well! Your mother, Obito, I will screw your wife's sister too! I swear, this whole life, I will not let you mongrels live in peace! I will certainly make your lives worse than death!"

Suffering extreme humiliation, plus injuries that may never completely heal, made all the hate in Dan Kato's heart rise intensely. Not only Naruto, but anyone from Purple Bamboo Garden were his mortal enemies.

Even Kakashi, he also hated! If he hadn't taught disciples like these, then how would I have ended up in such a tragic situation?

"Won't let me live in peace?!" Obito's countenance was motionless. He coldly said,

"By you? You have this capacity? If you like, then go ahead. I will be waiting! Ha ha, you would dare come? I, Obito, will fight with you! If you dare provoke me, hah hah, I, Obito, am also not afraid to kill people!"

After finishing his speech, as if feeling that his words were not only manly but also very funny, he laughed, "Ha ha!"

Obito was not an unthinking person. The words he said were natural, but also had reason.

Naruto's cultivation ranked lowest amongst the disciples; however, this guy in front of him got beaten to a pulp! So how useless was this guy? Even if there were a hundred of such a person, Obito would not be afraid at all!

Moreover, having the opportunity to show his heroism in front of Tsunade, then why not? Oh, Naruto, oh, Naruto! You just made a great opportunity for me!

Maybe this event will create a shockwave within the sect. All the elders in the sect will perhaps come to value me. Just from being able to meet them, I will have the opportunity make a big splash in one stroke.

When Obito spoke these words, he was also worried that he might have appeared arrogant. He was trying to exude masculinity, to attract the attention of Tsunade, but he didn't know that she was glaring at him, thinking, is there something wrong with this person? This incident could presently be avoided, why would he say such extreme words?

Dan Kato… is someone who could easily be messed with? Not mentioning that his father was the Master of Locking Clouds Peak, his father is also my second Martial Uncle… In the Beyond the Heavens Sect, besides the elder, he is second only to my father!

Even Junior Martial Uncle Kakashi, your master, is number ten…

After hearing Obito say these words, there appeared a vicious smile on Dan Kato's bloody face, "Obito, you admit to speaking these words?"

"Gibberish!" Obito said proudly, full of air. "Naruto is my, Obito's, Junior Martial Brother! I don't care who you are, if you want to mess with my Junior Martial Brother, you have to go through me."

Naruto thought to himself. Well said! Obito, you are truly talented! But on the outside, he said emotionally, "Eldest Martial Brother, little brother is… I have caused trouble for you…"

With this move, he completely cut off any means for retreat. There was no turning around.

Obito, high on his own self-admiration, waved off Naruto, and blatantly said, "Junior Martial Brother Naruto, what are you saying? We are brothers! What is a little annoyance?"

As he said this, he acted as if he was offended, as if Naruto was denying him the responsibility of this matter and looking down on him…

Rock Lee on the sidelines did not understand that Naruto was playing with these people. He became so emotional, to the point of crying. With tears and snot running, he said, "Eldest Martial Brother, oh you are so good…"

"Rock Lee, you are like that to me too. You are the Junior Martial Brother of I, Obito! If something were to happen to you, this older brother will help you no matter what!" Obito warmly. "I am the Eldest Martial Brother! Naturally, it is my job to protect you from all elements. If not, then are all of the sentiments that we brothers shared over all these years false?"

Value honor! Value Love! Full of courage! A man like this, is there any woman under the heavens who would not like? Tsunade, you… can hardly be the exception!

Obito's countenance was full of air, looking serious, but furtively glanced at Tsunade. His heart was full of satisfaction.

At this moment, Naruto, acting as if he was afraid of the world in chaos, immediately yelled loudly, "Good, with Eldest Martial Brother here, you dare to look down on us? Our Eldest Martial Brother is number one amongst all youths of the Beyond the Heavens Sect!"

"Junior Martial Brother Naruto, shut up!" Obito frowned and hastily snapped. He immediately said modestly, "Junior Martial Brother Naruto, you worship me blindly, these words cannot be said haphazardly. You need to know that misfortune comes from the mouth. Number one, haha, who dares assume that title? Junior Martial Sister Tsunade, here, is much stronger than me…"

Even though Obito's reprimand was very modest, in his heart, he was elated to the point that his head was swollen and he was flying on cloud nine.

Really, it was not a waste for me to teach you two every day. At this critical moment, you have given me face. The words 'Number one amongst all youth' have revealed Naruto's blind worship of me and proved my expectations!

Moreover, I knew exactly when to flatter Junior Martial Sister Tsunade, showing my heroic demeanor, as well as making the beauty happy…

Obito could almost imagine that Tsunade had begun to fall for him. While Obito was still feeling high-spirited, he did not see that Tsunade was bowing down to quickly bandage the wounds for Dan Kato. Her countenance was becoming increasingly annoyed.

This event has become completely blown up! I must quickly go back and tell my father, so they can figure out what to do. Ohh! This is all because Obito! You don't know anything, yet you're trying to be a hero. This is so annoying. Dan Kato will be sure to exaggerate when he gets back. Then, there will surely be strife between Purple Bamboo Garden and Locking Clouds Peak…

Junior Martial Uncle Don, they say that he is extremely a proud person who does not like to show his flaws. With his son, beaten by others like this, how he could he tolerate it? Geez…

If it was only Naruto, after I tell the story, then Junior Martial Uncle Kakashi would only have to reprimand him to save face for Junior Martial Uncle Don. Then everything would be over. But who would have thought that Obito, who just arrived and spoke a few sentences, made the situation unamendable. Moreover, the most bizarre thing is that Naruto is the cause of this incident, which actually would have been no big deal. All this is because Obito decided to heroically jump in… Now, it is probably true that Dan Kato hates Obito more than Naruto… You say you're quick-witted and clever… this had nothing to do with you! Who made you go and intervene?

"Huff… hack… hack… huff… huff…" Dan Kato was suffering from shortness of breath, but still smiling. "Obito, just remember exactly what you have just said!"

"Elder Martial Sister, let's go!" Dan Kato was resilient. Unbelievably, he was now standing on the ground with one leg. He glared poisonously at Obito and fiercely left.

Unexpectedly, he did not bother to look at Naruto!

Anyway, he himself was in the wrong first. Naruto was unrelated… it was due to his own imprudence that he stepped into the hole and broke his own leg. The other had nothing to do with it…

Talking about this event wouldn't be any good. This best thing would have been to have secretly dealt with Naruto later on. This Obito, though, hmmm… if I cannot kill him, I am not a Kato anymore…

The development of this incident made even Tsunade's perception a little fuzzy. The person involved had no suffering, the innocent person was now the one with the greatest responsibility. Moreover, this burden was not small…

"I still have to trouble Elder Martial Brother Obito to send a message to Junior Martial Uncle Kakashi. My father wants to invite him to come to Gathering Clouds Peak for a certain matter." Tsunade thought for a moment. She felt she would not be able to handle this further, she immediately bid her goodbyes.

"Junior Martial Sister Tsunade is too courteous. Our master is currently in closed-door training. When he comes out, we will pass the message for you." Obito bowed and gallantly said, "Junior Martial Sister is fragile, if you plan to carry Junior Martial Brother back, it is a heavy burden. Or… Rock Lee, you go and help this Junior Martial Brother home. Make sure he gets safely back to Locking Clouds Peak!"

"Yes, Eldest Martial Brother!" Rock Lee complied.

Soon Tsunade said goodbye to Obito and Naruto. After a word of thanks to Obito, she immediately turned and left. Never had she expected to feel like she was praying to someone from beyond… it was as if talking to Obito was like talking to a dead person.


	6. Chapter 6

Obito watched as the silhouette of the three people slowly disappeared at the end of the road and could not help but smile satisfactorily. Today I have absolutely left a deep impression with Tsunade!

On Naruto's part, despite acting as if there was nothing out of the ordinary, his eyes showed a mischievousness. Certainly, you left an impression, but that impression is…

"For today, I am truly thankful to Eldest Martial Brother." Naruto said earnestly. "If not, I would have truly met with bad luck."

"There was no other way," Obito said with bravado, "Junior Martial Brother Naruto, what was that person's name? Do you know him?"

Naruto said, "Junior brother doesn't know."

Now you remember to ask for his name? I know his name is Dan Kato, the only son of Second Elder Martial Uncle Don Kato, one of the spoiled princes of the Beyond the Heavens Sect. But I'm not telling you!

"Well, it does not matter that you don't know." Obito gave a disdainful humph and spoke as if even if the sky were to fall, he would still be up to the task. "His strength was just ordinary. Surely, he is not anybody important. No need to worry about him. Even if he wants revenge, somebody like him would not be able to do anything to anybody. Other senior martial brothers will not let this retard mess with me, Obito. Junior Martial Brother Naruto, you can rest easy."

Naruto said yes and thanked him profusely.

It was not until the afternoon, when Rock Lee came back from his errand. His body was covered in dust, his countenance was restless and frightened. When he had returned, Obito was still humming a song while practicing his sword techniques in the yard. He was imagining his beautiful future with each stroke. He moved gently, full of spirit.

Naruto was then sitting cross-legged in his room, trying to take advantage of the time, trying to increase his cultivation. With real strength, comes the right speak! Naruto would absolutely not waste any time that could be used for cultivation.

Rock Lee had rushed back, head full of sweat, after speaking a few sentences with Obito. Then Naruto heard a 'ding' sound, that was the sword that had fallen from Obito's hand. Immediately after that, there was a 'plop.' Obito had fallen to ground, with a pale countenance. There was not a drop of blood in his face.

Obito suddenly shot up, as fast as the wind, he ran to Naruto's room. With one kick, the door flew open. With a never before seen menacing face, "Naruto, you… ! Your mother, you dare betray me?!"

Obito's leisurely air was gone. His eyes were filled with rage, eyeballs bulging and panting as he spoke.

"Eldest Martial Brother, where did you hear such a thing?" Naruto deliberately breathed a sigh, pretending to not know what to do.

Rock Lee also approached and hastily intervened. "Eldest Martial Brother, Second Martial Brother also didn't know."

"Fart!" Obito panted and bellowed, "Why didn't you tell me he was Dan Kato? You… why did you screw me over?"

Obito, feeling righteous indignation, cried loudly. "What sort of calamity have I brought upon myself? How could I have been so stupid to cause such a catastrophe? Looks like trouble found me."

"Me, too. Truly you can try to run from the sun, but you can't avoid the sunlight…" Naruto, appearing innocent, called out at the injustice. "Eldest Martial Brother! What does this have to do with me?"

Obito, after hearing these words, felt everything go dark. His face paled and he nearly spat up blood. Listening to this guy was what caused the trouble in the first place, and he dares to say in front of my face 'what does this have to do with me'…

Even his heart had to twitch.

If it was not for you, how would I have scolded Dan Kato? If you did not make Dan Kato angry, then how could it have escalated to this point? If it were not for you causing this mess, how could I have become so stupid and obtuse… how could I have been entwined in such a dangerous situation?

Now, you, the culprit, will suffer nothing. But I, the innocent one, on the other hand, have become the sworn enemy with Dan Kato!

And now, you're even saying pitifully 'what does this have to do with me'. You tell me, what does he have to do with you?!

Obito breathed loudly, his eyes rolled up; these words have angered him to the point of speechlessness.

Naruto looked at Obito's heaving chest and thought lewdly. If it was a woman breathing like that… hehe… then it's definitely worth watching, but this heaving has no allure at all, it is such a failure.

"Yes, it is like that, Eldest Martial Brother, what does this incident have anything to do with Naruto?" Rock Lee scratched his head and said naively. "At the time, we were all there. Second Martial Brother did not say anything. On the other hand, you, Eldest Martial Brother, full of valor, stood out and defended us. We are filled with gratitude. How could we have plotted against you…?"

All of Rock Lee's words emanated from his heart. His praises for Obito were very honest. It was true that he looked up to Eldest Martial Brother. But when these words reached Obito's ears, they became extremely cynical sarcasm.

Full of valor? Protect you from the elements? What a laugh! You two calculated very well…

Obito's whole body shook twice. Before his eyes, nothing but darkness. His mouth opened wide, but he did not know what to say. His face looked like a pig!

There was a constant pounding in his head making his vision fuzzy and making him feel dizzy. Once more, Obito humphed and with a wave of his sleeve, he walked out. After that, there was a loud dry cough in the yard, followed by what sounded like a groggy mumbling, slowly going quiet.

The next morning, when Rock Lee opened the door, he discovered a spot of blood in a bush with a putrid smell that went straight to the nostrils. This made Rock Lee feel pitiful and uncomfortable for many days… "Whose blood was this? So unnatural."

When Naruto saw Obito walk out, his eyes revealed a frosty coldness. Obito was very cruel, moreover, he had many plots and conspiracies… like a poisonous snake. People like that should die as early as possible. But Naruto does not want him to die soon!

First, from Obito, Naruto could learn many things. For example, underhandedness, cruelty, and manipulation. All these things Naruto did not have in his previous life, but it could not be left unsaid, that though these qualities are unethical, in a world that worships the powerful like this, these qualities are necessary to walk the Jiang Hu.

A great man, in life, must be cruel when the times are cruel. When it is time to joke, then joke. Plot evil schemes whenever necessary!

The reason was very simple. All these things were to protect oneself. If you cannot protect yourself, how could you think about achieving great things? It would all be just like a flower in the mirror or the moon in the water.

Empires can change, people can be good as well as bad. But there is one thing that is always true; if you want your name to be recorded in history, it is a lot harder than leaving a bad reputation. Therefore, good people have to sacrifice so much more then the bad. Few can leave their good name in history. In fact, few people are capable of leaving their name in history.

Secondly, right now, there were a few cards that Naruto could not show. If others in the sect knew his true strength, then he would encounter many problems. Especially the guys looking towards the top disciple position. Once they know that there suddenly emerged a genius amongst geniuses competing with them, then wouldn't he become their target?

If I become the bull-eyes for everyone to aim at, even if I had three heads and six arms, using what little capacity I have now, I fear the result would be tragic!

With these things, it was best to have Obito help carry some of the burden like today. Dumping everything on his head was a real pleasure.

Theatre was very tiring, how nice to be relieved and watch from the entertainment from the sidelines!

There was one additional thing that Naruto recognized. He still lacked in many things. Moreover, the path that he chooses in this life cannot be like the one from the previous life. In his previous life he cultivated Sword Art without love. It was possible to cultivate in seclusion deep in the mountain without paying attention to life. However, he will not do that in this life.

This life, from the moment I died in my previous life, had already begun to go in a different path!

All the things in the previous life that I ignored and did not experience, this life I want to try them all! Previously, my whole life I valued honor and integrity with the exception of a few things. I did not know anything else.

I cannot hide like the previous life, I will need to experience life. From the mud of life, I will rise, then I can advance to the pinnacle of Sword Art. Then I will understand the Way of the Heavens!

Obito… let's keep toying with him like that. Let him shield me until his death… It is really not that bad at all. At least I will have this target to cover me. And I can leisurely observe.

Though, he's not a person of interest to me. But this is not a problem!

Of course injuring Dan Kato was because Naruto was able to accurately predict his next move and deliberately create the trap. Backing up and sitting on his neck was also deliberate.

Even though he doesn't have the super human strength of his previous life, he still retained his powerful foresight. Dealing with a youth who can barely wipe his nose like Dan Kato was indeed as easy as the flip of a hand.

Gathering Clouds Peak.

In the library, Master Hiruzen Sarutobi, with three strands of black hair on his beard, was sitting on a wooden zi dan chair smiling lightly. Next to him was a middle-aged man wearing green/blue qipao. His hairless face seemed very calm. His eyes seemed to show infinite wisdom. He was the master of Dream Clouds Peak, Seventh Martial Brother Mitokado. He was also a cunning character of the Beyond the Heavens Sect.

At that time, Tsunade stood in front of the two, reporting what had happened. When she talked about the events that occurred at Purple Bamboo Garden, and about the injuries of Dan Kato, she herself did not comprehend the actions of Naruto or Obito. Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was calm from the beginning until now, along with Mitokado glanced at each other astonished.

"Then, in your opinion, how are these three disciples of Purple Bamboo Garden?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked softly.

Surprisingly, not asking about the injuries of Dan Kato, but about the three Purple Bamboo Garden disciples.

"It's hard to say," Tsunade said reluctantly, in an uncertain manner.

"Oh? Hard to say? How is it hard to say?" Mitokado was very interested, looking at his beautiful niece, he smiled and asked softly.

"My impression of them, compared to all the rumors, there is a big difference," said Tsunade as she furrowed her delicate eyebrows. "According to rumors, Obito is a mature adept who can take on many responsibilities by himself. Very meticulous and careful. But now he has made me feel very disappointed."

"But the second disciple, Naruto, according to the rumors, he is a reserved, eccentric individual, but honest. Only today, I see that he has potential. He looked like a coward and was afraid of trouble, but inside he actually seems… "

Tsunade thought for a little, unable to find a word to describe her impression. She finally said, "In short, this person is an enigma. I cannot understand him. As for the third disciple, Rock Lee is exactly like the rumors, he really doesn't know his place."

After listening to her, both men became silent once more, their brows wrinkled tightly.

A very long after, Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up and walked slowly towards the wall in front of him. Reaching out with one hand, he revealed a white piece of paper within a painting hung upon the wall. On this white paper, from top to bottom, there was a list of names. A total of forty name, each name had a check mark next to them written in red.

There are ten names in the back of the paper with two check marks next to them. There were two names, occupying the first and second places, with three check marks. The names of these two were Raido and Genma.

Dan Kato's name occupied position number nineteen and Obito's name occupied number thirteen. Naruto and Rock Lee's names were not on this paper.

Hiruzen Sarutobi took a brush and considered for a moment. He crossed out Dan Kato's name with a red line, erasing the three words Dan Kato from the list. After that, he thought a bit. Moving his pen to the bottom, he wrote two words: Naruto.

Then, Hiruzen Sarutobi added after Naruto's name a mark '?'. After finishing, he took two steps back. He raised his brows and thought. Then he once again brought his brush up and crossed out Naruto's name, leaving only the question mark.

"I fear this will cause big waves and strong winds." Mitokado said with a frown. "Internally, our Beyond the Heavens Sect is now very unstable. And this happened today. Junior Martial Brother Kakashi will also be affected by this."

"Junior Martial Brother Kakashi won't be affected at all. With his personality, unless the Beyond the Heavens Sect perish, he doesn't let anything else bother him." Hiruzen Sarutobi shook his head with an air of confidence. However, after that, his face became dark. "About Obito… is it really true?"

Such air, seems like a paper tiger.

"Yes," Tsunade's impression of Obito, even though ordinary people call him 'mature and respectable', but in her mind, he was a dim chicken, moreover he was a dim and blind chicken.

There is really no cure! Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a deep sigh.

With this event, the two people did not say much. Obviously they also did not hold anything to heart. After all, this was only a childish game of the younger generation. It had no effect on the big picture.

Currently on the faces of the two, there were uneasy expressions showing obvious worry.

Hiruzen Sarutobi waved dismissively. Understanding this, Tsunade exited without a sound.

"Eldest Brother, Little Brother has an idea…" Mitokado probed.

"No need to hurry," Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his arm sleeve with a gloomy countenance.

Mitokado remained quiet for a while, then said with a low voice, "Since the founding of the Beyond the Heavens Sect to us, it has only been seven generations. When our ancestors founded this sect, they brought us to the top of world of cultivation of the Lower Three Heavens. We enjoyed the respect of the royal family and a lifetime of honor. But the second generation, right away, had a confrontation with the imperial family of the Great State of Sky, making the reputation of the school decrease by a thousand meters. All of our experts were hunted and killed everywhere. More than half died. Luckily, two of our ancestors in their old age unwittingly helped the royal family with a great favor. It was then that the confrontation ended. This event helped the Beyond the Heavens Sect slowly reestablish itself, getting back the nine peaks and one garden."

"With the third generation elders, everyone were great talents. One by one, all exceptional. It was believed that the sect would return to its former prosperity, but unexpectedly, because there were so many talents, it led to internal conflicts of the nine peaks and one garden. After a brutal fight, they killed each other. The Beyond the Heavens Sect once again suffered a major blow. The only thing that could have been done was to issue an order prohibit from fighting and killing each other. Until now, the nine peaks and one garden, with the exception of the garden of Junior Martial Brother Kakashi, every other place are all secretly plotting, hidden waves are crashing intensely. The ten top disciple from the eighth generation continue in mortal battles. It can be presumed that the Sect will suffer from large losses again."

"The Beyond the Heavens Sect, those years, went from one of the top schools and depreciated to the point that it is now. Only a second rate school."

Mitokado's voice started out a little hesitant, but it became more and more heated. "Eldest Martial Brother, at first glance, the nine peaks and one garden, seems grand, but every place has its own agenda. Younger Brother thinks that it might be better not to have it at all!"

"Our sect is so divided, there are surely traitors. The Beyond the Heavens sect is in a state of great danger. There were Seven Great Sects back then. Today, there are only six remaining. That open position for seventh has been eyed by Onoki and Yagura for a very long time now. They are our strongest opponents! But Divine Sword Pavilion and Black Blood Union both have blood feuds with us. They want to destroy us even more."

"The destiny of the Beyond the Heavens Sect is now like a bell hanging on a thread!" With a sad countenance, Mitokado said, "Eldest Martial Brother, we can't not hurry!"

"What you're saying, how could I not know?" Hiruzen Sarutobi breathed a long sigh. "You've only talked about the Jiang Hu and external factors. But our true crisis, you have yet to talk about it."

"Our Beyond the Heavens Sect, these past few years, there are almost six hundred male disciples in the eight generation. Some are useful, but that number is meager. On the part of the female disciples, ten years ago, there were no more than fifty. But now, there is almost one hundred fifty! Although they have limited potential; in looks, they are beautiful like flowers…"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed. He put his hands together and walked to the window. He said quietly, "This is an omen of the death of our sect!"

"Beauty will only invite tragedy," Hiruzen Sarutobi said casually. "In a prosperous place like this, beauty is a resource. This is fundamentally the root of our curse. The condition of our Beyond the Heavens Sect now has become very urgent. Only waiting for the eighth generation to walk the Jiang Hu will naturally lead to endless disputes!"

"It is the root of trouble, but it also might be a resource!" Mitokado dismissively said, "Them walking in the Jiang Hu, that may give our Beyond the Heavens Sect a chance to recruit more support. We don't yet know."

"Do you think it is possible?" Hiruzen Sarutobi sarcastically smiled. "Beauty in the eyes of the vast majority of the powerful, is only tool."

"Currently, our Beyond the Heavens Sect suffers from chaos on the inside and enemies on the outside. If we follow your suggestion and force the nine peaks and one garden to become one around one power center, I am afraid that it will immediately cause division! The sect will fall into ruins." Hiruzen Sarutobi said heavily. "By then, if our external enemies took the opportunity to attack, our Beyond the Heavens Sect would be destroyed right away."

"Severe illness can lead to excessive medicine use. Your words are not bad, however, if you are critically ill, you start to arbitrarily use medicine as you wish, this will only lead to death! Moreover, our enemies from afar, not just these…" Hiruzen Sarutobi paused as if there were something else difficult to say.

Unconvinced, Mitokado said, "So should we just let it continue to decline? So just go with the will of the sect and let everything slowly go downhill?"

"We need to borrow external powers…" Whenever Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke the word 'borrow' his face became very troubled, stressing each syllable, the look in his eyes was like someone facing drastic measures. Subsequently, he did not say anything and with a taciturn look, he turned toward the wall with the list of the thirty nine names and a single question mark. He looked at the list for a long time without speaking.

"But the other ones… the females disciples, how to handle that matter?" Mitokado let out his inner thoughts and immediately rose.

"This is what I am currently worried about." Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a profound look in his eyes. "If the Beyond the Heavens Sect can quickly grow strong, then we can protect the female disciples from being bullied by others and help them find satisfactory marriages. But now… we can only try our best!"

Mitokado took a deep breath and said, "This event with Dan Kato, Second Elder Martial Brother will naturally not let this go. Eldest Martial Brother, can you give some thoughts on this?"

"Second Brother has always been hot-headed, he likes to covers his flaws; I am sure he will go after Purple Bamboo Garden." Hiruzen Sarutobi said casually, "But he also knows the personalities of his nine martial brothers, so he will only be angry for a bit. He will not do anything himself. As for his disciples, they will surely take action."

"No matter who wins or loses, this time will be an opportunity for them to hone their skills, for both sides. It will be an exercise for advancement." Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "As long as it doesn't go too far, we don't need to manage it. If we can find new talents from this, it would not be a bad thing."

The two became silent. They both raised their heads, looking intently at the 39 names and a question mark on the paper. For a major sect, it was like they were trying to find gold in sand. Whenever a disciple showed some ability, then they were chosen into this list.

Only these people! These people were the hope for the future of the Beyond the Heavens Sect. Regardless whether or not Beyond the Heavens Sect creating a foundation or becoming one of the Seven Great Sects or even advancing into the Middle Three Heavens to become a legend of the Lower Three Heavens, all will depend on them. 39 people and a question mark are the elite of the sect.

For a major sect like the Beyond the Heavens sect, this was really sad!

Mitokado looked at the names, but inwardly, was thinking of something else. Eldest Martial Brother obviously knew that Dan Kato was a petty person who had intentions towards Tsunade. But still, he let Dan Kato go with Tsunade to give the notice. With Tsunade's beauty, of course there would be disciples in the sect who admire her. Conflict would happen for sure, yet he still allows that… Good grief…

He did not arbitrarily tell a disciple from Gathering Clouds Peak to pass the news, but instead asked two disciples from the two peaks to go together. From the outside, this seemed like a matter of respect. Moreover, this gave Second Brother more face. But in fact, he was rekindling latent conflict amongst disciples.

What is Eldest Martial Brother deliberately doing? Or is this a tactic aimed at Second Martial Brother's Locking Clouds Peak?

Mitokado stared at the back of Hiruzen Sarutobi as his mind wandered. This obviously cannot be asked directly…

I only hope that this plan will work! Mitokado thought to himself.

Suddenly a series of noises rose up, a shadow almost without presence fly into the room through the window. It was a small bird; its whole body completely pale white. It quickly landed on the table, tilted its head and looked at the two.

Colorless Falcon!

The two people's eyes lit up. Mitokado looked at the little falcon, laughingly he asked, "Eldest Martial Brother, this is not from Koharu…?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded, with calm eyes, he took a small bamboo tube from the Colorless Falcon; from it, he took out a piece of paper.

After looking at the content of the paper, his countenance became quite serious. Before long, his eyebrows rose. Apparently, he had come to a major decision.

Naruto was unaware of this affair, nor did he know that the sect had fallen into danger. He was currently absorbed in his cultivation.

In fact, he only knew that the sect would be destroyed in four years time. But as for the reason, he was not clear. In his previous life, he was only a minor disciple without any friends during this period. Moreover with his eccentric personality, he did not bother going anywhere.

In three months, the Ranking Competition within the sect will begin. This competition will last about half a year. 800 disciples will be screened gradually until only ten remained. Then the ten will be sent away for three years of vigorous training. On the fourth year, the sect will choose one outstanding candidate amongst them to be Eldest Martial Brother.

However, Naruto could not wait that long. He wanted to establish his position within half a year. Then, he would be allowed to enter the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds to get the first fragment of the Nine Tribulations Sword.

To do this, he will have try twice as hard! Even though he was now borne again, he was without any support. He will have to rely on his own efforts. With his cultivation as a Martial Pupil of the Fourth Grade, even with his full experience, he would be useless against the top disciples of the sect because they were above him by tens of levels.

Force is only effective in certain cases, just as ploy has its own limits. A group of kids can trap a rabbit, but cannot kill a tiger.

Currently, Naruto was training frantically.

Another day and night passed, Dan Kato has not made any moves. According to Rock Lee, after he returned Dan Kato, Second Elder Martial Uncle, Don Kato, was so angry his face turned purple. He angrily screamed and yelled…

However, Naruto never felt any pressure from the incident.

Even if the sky falls down, there was a mountain to hold it up. Obito was that mountain!

Just let him fend for me!

In the glimmering Purple Bamboo Forest, Naruto's form was strong like a mountain, two legs anchored firmly on a pile of sharp stones. His whole body remained motionless, maintaining balance.

"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!" He kept repeating the same action, drawing his sword and sheathing it… drawing it and sheathing it…

Only a simple action, but he had practiced since dawn until now. Below his body, sweat had dripped down to form a puddle.

Naruto took half a step forward with his left foot. His toes slightly tilted outward while his right foot stayed in place. His eyes looked calmly ahead. His hands on the hilt of the sword. A very small noise sound. He lifted his hand, twisting his waist and focused all of his attention toward the front. One could only see the light of the sword appear in a flash as it went forward. His gaze was extremely calm. His arm was bent down, obviously with more power to spare.

"Shiiiiiinng!"

Then rays of light flashed, the sword returned to its sheath.

Naruto's gaze remained unchanged. Looking at his face and his eyes, no one could tell if he was satisfied with this move. Naruto continued to repeat the motion!

Exactly the same movements, boring and tasteless. A normal person would only try a dozen times and be bored, while Naruto had repeated this action a thousand times since before sunrise.

On his body, a new wave of sweat began to pour. Just in the morning alone, his arms had already become sore and then numb, then regained feeling, then became numb again…

Regardless of normal pain or deathly pain or if the body had reached its limits, he had full control over his body. He still pulled the sword in a very precise manner.

The sword was just a normal metal sword. It's black sheath even more so!

The quiet night of Purple Bamboo Forest was disturbed by that normal sword. Its aura raged!

The sound of the drawn sword seemed to have become softer and softer. In the beginning, it clanged. Now, it only made a very soft "swish," so soft that one could hardly hear.

Naruto still did not rest.

What he didn't know was that a little while after he started training, a few meters from him, there was a tall shadow quietly watching. Every morning that Naruto trained, that shadow would watch him. The morning mist had made his whole body drenched, but he seemed to not want to disturb Naruto. He just stood there quietly.

Finally, with sun rays shining from the east, Naruto slowly sheathed his sword and took a long breath. He stood there quietly. The killing aura in the air also slowly disappeared.

Closing his eyes, he collected his sword intent and killing intent back inside himself!

To train the Sword Arts, there must be killing intent! It was necessary for fostering a sharp sword aura. This point was not a difficulty for Naruto, because he only had to think about Obito and Toneri then his sword aura would lose control and become filled with killing aura. This did not need to be improved.

When he opened his eyes, there was another person before him.

"Master?" said Naruto with a light exhale.

This person was, of course, Kakashi, who was supposed to be in closed door training.

"You have been training for hours, but your body never moved from that spot." Kakashi looked deeply into the eyes of his second disciple. With much contemplation, he said, "It seems you have been training your sword non-stop?"

"Honorable Master!" Naruto smiled. To him, this master, regardless if it was the previous life or this life, he will always be respectful.

Even though Kakashi was stoic in nature, no one dared to look down on him. He might seem to be unattached, never taking anything to heart, but nothing seems to escape him. Moreover, internally, he always knows to weigh the importance of things.

Weighing the world!

Such people, no matter where they were, they are always outstanding characters!

In his heart, there was something he wanted to protect; that was the sect! Beyond the Heavens Sect! Because of this, at the time when the Beyond the Heavens Sect was attacked, he had rather fight to the death than retreat! In the wind tainted with the smell of the rain of blood, he always tried to protect his disciples.

Or perhaps the master had some other regrets. Only, Naruto did not know what it was. He only knew that, late at night, his teacher often silently stood alone in the wind looking nostalgic. As if thinking about something…

"You are training the heart, the intent, and the sword speed. Yet you also want to control the sound as the sword is leaving the sheath!" With arms folded in front of his chest, Kakashi, asked casually, "Who taught you these things?"

"No one taught me, I just suddenly realized, when you pull your sword, intention should be used with each strike to have effectiveness." Naruto continued, "Before, disciple only knew to practice the sword and practice some more… Truly, I have fallen very far behind…"

"Hmm… that is correct." Kakashi nodded gently, then he immediately raised his hand. Naruto felt his hand become heavier. It turned out there was a container of water in his hand.

"After you finish sword training, you immediately took in your sword intent and dispersed the killing aura internally. After that, you talked to me. Your performance today indicated a stable foundation, you can now be molded." Kakashi smiled.

After physical activity, one absolutely should not drink. If Naruto drank right after his sword practice, then all the results of his training since early this morning would become nothing. Moreover, it can also hard the body.

But now, he did not need that period of rest anymore.

Naruto held up the container and took a few sips, then put it down. He was extremely thirsty. But now was not a good time to drink too much water. Everyone knows this principle, but few can restrain from the burning pain of thirst.

Kakashi continued to look at him. He gently exhaled, smiled and said, "Only in using the heart to practice does one achieve sword heart. Once sword heart is achieved, you can train in sword courage. Only when you have sword courage, then you can move about under the heavens unhindered. Amongst disciples your age, everyone knows this principle, but those who are able to practice this are not many. Today you have forced yourself to achieve this state. Not bad. But you still need to continue to try harder."

He paused for a moment and continued to say, "I will not oversee how you train, however, why are you trying to exercise control over the sound of the sword unsheathing?"

Naruto laughed. "Master, all swordsmen of the Nine Heavens are like that as well. All sabre practitioners as well. Their weapons are made of steel. For wealthy people the sheaths are made of gold, silver, or some legendary metal. Even more precious materials are also used. Overall, they are metallic. Metal is tough and is not prone to abrasion, thus these weapons can be used for a long time. Moreover, they would contribute to the attack strength. These are all advantages. But when the weapon is pulled from a sheath, the friction will create a sound."

"Correct." Kakashi nodded his head.

"However, this sound will give your opponents time to be on guard. Disciple believes that this is the shortcoming of metal sheaths!" Naruto slowly continued. "Master, what do you think sword training is for? It is for killing people! If it were merely for exercise, then there would be no need to use weapons. If we already wanted to kill people, why should we give them time to prepare? One strike, one kill, isn't that more decisive? I am training to draw my sword without a sound, to create an element of surprise!"

"Jiang Hu is without mercy, a man must kill, fresh blood for miles. Killing people from the shadows. I faithfully believe that killing without sound, without warning, is the supreme realm of Sword Arts."

"Killing without sound, without warning? Like the way you dealt with Obito?" Kakashi slightly tilted his head. His gaze became sharp.

Naruto was momentarily startled. He could not believe that Kakashi noticed this. Moreover, he saw through everything that Naruto had arranged. "It cannot be left unsaid, entrapping Obito was refreshing."

Naruto calmly smiled without any denial. Then he suddenly said in a quiet voice, "If he was not stupefied by beauty, with a desire for conquest, he would not have fallen into such a trap."

Kakashi gave Naruto a profound look, then let out a long sigh and immediately changed the topic. He clasped his hands, turned and walked away, while calmly saying, "You just said that learning the sword is for killing… don't you feel this is a little one-sided? You need to remember that in this world, there are many things worth valuing, there are also many things you must be concerned with. Learning the sword is not only for killing, but also for protecting those things we hold dear."

With a long sigh, Kakashi continued, "Human life is precious. If you can spare, then spare. Even with those who are extremely evil and cruel, each time you kill a person, you injure your own heart. No matter who you kill, it is still a monstrous crime. They are born from parents, they are fathers, brothers, or husbands to someone."

"What master said holds true, disciple agrees. However, when others come to destroy what we protect…because we don't want to make our side suffer in tears…" Naruto followed behind Kakashi walking straight ahead. He spoke firmly, "So I have to make the enemies' parents suffer in tears. People like that cannot be spared!"

Kakashi said, "If it is possible to spare, then spare."

"Even if I spare, others will not spare me," Naruto said. "This world is as such. Dangers and enemies must be destroyed."

"Your killing aura is too heavy! It is not good at all!" Kakashi sighed.

With pity, he shook his head. "If revenge breeds revenge, will there ever be an end?"

"When killing weeds, you must eradicate the root. Then you will not leave catastrophe for later! Master, your heart has become soft and weak. You are not like people in Jiang Hu anymore." Naruto said bluntly.

"You practice the sword as to not make a sound, that's the same as a sneak attack. This goes against the traditional rules of Jiang Hu. I fear people will criticize you and that this will lead to negative effects on your legacy."

Naruto laughed and said, "Traditional rules are traditional rules. I am who I am. Why do I have to follow those traditional rules? Disciple works with just one single rule; that is to protect my life! Not being able to protect your life, then complying with those rules is meaningless."

He paused a moment, then said with a sarcastic tone, "Moreover, currently in Jiang Hu, there aren't many who follow those old rules. Those old rules have caused so many honest people to go to their deaths."

Kakashi became silent!

Teacher and student were unable to persuade each other. But inside, each of them felt a strange sensation. In the previous life, Naruto treated his master with utmost reverence, never arguing with him about anything. Currently, the two walked, one after the other, while having this verbal exchange. Even though all this talk about killing spoiled the ideal surrounding, but inside, Naruto felt an immense warmth.

Kakashi as well!

Even though he did not agree with Naruto's words, but he cannot deny the rationale behind Naruto's philosophy. The reason he did not say anymore was because, even with his students, he never forced anyone to follow his ideals. Everyone had their own path, how they walked those paths was their choice.

"Master, there is something disciple cannot understand." Naruto contemplated.

"You want to ask about Obito?" Kakashi let out a loud laugh. "I have condoned Obito's deceit against you two. Letting him monopolize resources of the sect without a care, is that right?"

Naruto raised his eyes and his sword-like eyebrows came together. This had made him suspicious for a very long time. If Kakashi already knew, then why did he not bother to stop it? Obito was his disciple, perhaps he and Rock Lee were not?

Before, Naruto could not express his dissatisfaction because he knew Kakashi had reasons for his actions. Now he was asking because he wanted to know; because his next step was to kill Obito!

What if his action ended up destroying Kakashi's plans?

"I did not deal with it because that is Obito's skill. You two were dumb; even if I had explained, it would have been useless." Kakashi casually continued. "Underhanded falsehood, the mouth speaks of the words of Buddha while the mind thinks like a snake. Although low and despicable, it is also a skill. Moreover, it is a necessary condition for success while walking the Jiang Hu. Obito has not been discreet enough since he was discovered by you."

After a short pause, Kakashi said, "Obito still does not lie well enough."

Naruto quietly walked behind him for a moment, then said with a low voice, "I understand."

Walking slowly without turning back, Kakashi continued speaking with his emotionless voice, "If you did not find out, I would still condone Obito's actions until he no longer needs me. Even though there are only the three of you, this is still Jiang Hu! To live or to die, is your business. You make the choice!"

As he said the words "to live or to die, is your business," his face still did not changed. Only, his voice became heavy with a burdened heart.

The words sounded heartless, but it made Naruto sigh deeply. The master was only there to show them the way; ultimately the road ahead is up to them.

At this time, Kakashi might seem uncaring, but the truth was he truly wanted his disciples to experience Jiang Hu, even if it was a little late. However, compared to disciples of other places, his disciples would still be one be one step ahead.

Being able to experience it for themselves was totally different from being taught. Even though this was a little cruel, they would have to go through it sooner or later. A little sooner and it would give them that much more control over their own lives!

This understanding of the master's concern came from Naruto's previous life, after the sect was destroyed.

"If you two continue to be stupid after leaving the sect, it would be just a matter of time before you die from the hands of others. And if that were to be, why would I place any expectations on you? Do not think that I am heartless, it is just that the Beyond the Heavens Sect needs heroes not idiots."

"Obito is devious and cruel. He is not a good person."

When Kakashi stopped, Naruto discovered that they had arrived at the cliff face behind the mountain. Then Kakashi said, "But Obito gets the job done. His capabilities are good, that is why I let him be. I used him to control you two. Before, you two seemed very ordinary. Your concerns were trivial and naïve. The smaller the achievement, the greater the chance of survival. Even when people looked down on you, you at least have a chance to live. I only want my disciples to be able to live. As to what path you choose, I won't control it. Everything is determined by the heavens. If you did not suddenly discover his plots, I would not have said anything to you. Perhaps, I may be a qualified teacher or not yet worthy, but since Obito started to deceive you, you had not realized. On the contrary, you were grateful to him. In not telling you, I have made the choice for you."

He turned around and looked deep into Naruto's eyes. "Until that day, the day that you started asking me questions."

"I understand!"

Even though Kakashi's words were cold and indifferent, but Naruto was extremely grateful. If he and Rock Lee foolishly exposed Obito, then their lives would have been much more difficult.

"These past few days, even though I announced I would be closed door training, I was secretly watching all of you." Kakashi laughed loudly. "It was at this time that I discovered that I, Kakashi, have once again made an erroneous judgment. You, Naruto, you truly gave me a surprise. I have changed my initial assessment of you!"

Naruto felt very ashamed. Not only did I deceive my master, but in my previous life, I was so naïve…

There is one thing I do not understand; my master said 'have once again made an erroneous judgment,' these words seem to hide a deeper meaning. Maybe he had made a similar mistake once before?

"At the most, only your personality needs to change," Kakashi thought for a moment and said gravely, "For people in Jiang Hu, bloodshed is inevitable. But during our talk today, you carried a very heavy killing aura. You now know to work hard. I fear that your achievements in the days to come will surpass my own. The reason I worry… If someone found the parents who abandoned you… that is why I am having this talk with you today."

"Ha, ha!" Naruto smiled coldly. His eyes revealed an intense hatred. As a person of two worlds, this is the thing that haunts him the most. Naruto was an orphan, a child who was abandoned! When Kakashi found him, he was a baby still wrapped in diapers amidst a harsh winter. He left in front of a deserted temple. After Naruto found out about this, his heart was filled with a bitterness that could not be suppressed.

You gave birth to me, why did you throw me away? Even if you bring me into a poor family, you could have helped me to continue to live. But you left me in front a deserted temple on a cold winter night!

Even in a deserted temple, it would still be better than outside, right? At least I could have extended a few more breaths. They obviously wanted me dead, but did not have the heart to kill a newborn baby. So they chose to deceive themselves like this. A child not yet a year old… If a generous person did not come along, wouldn't death be the only possibility? How could there be such cruel parents under the heavens?

Looking at hatred on Naruto's face, Kakashi sighed, "Master will give you three pieces of advice. You must keep them in your heart. First, without your parents, you were still able to live. Second, under the heavens, there are no parents who do not love their children! Third, in the natural laws of heavens, your life is given to you by your parents."

"Master is right," Naruto said calmly.

Kakashi sighed inwardly, he knew Naruto said one thing, but obviously thought another. He worried that Naruto could not untie the knots in his heart. It is easy to distinguish because he said 'Master is right' as opposed to 'Disciple will remember.'

It is difficult to blame Naruto for his hatred. Amongst the 800 disciples of the Beyond the Heavens Sect, the amount of orphans were numerous. But it was because their parents all passed away. As to those who were actually abandoned by their parents, there were only two: Naruto and Rock Lee.

The feeling of being discarded, moreover by his own biological parents, is indescribably painful. Over time, that pain grew larger and became engraved in his heart. Finally, it became a bitter hatred.

Furthermore Naruto was a very proud person!

Naruto's eccentric personality appeared after he came to understand the ways of life. Since he knew of his origin, he always remained stoic and never said much; slowly he became the way he was now.

The hatred had accumulated in his heart for 16 years.

Kakashi sighed looking mournfully at his disciple. On Naruto's calm countenance, Kakashi could feel a vast and intense fury mixed with grief. He only feared that once that fury starts to burn, Naruto himself will be burned to ashes as well.

Kakashi only knew the Naruto's fury had been accumulating for 16 years. However he didn't know that this fury wasn't simply from the 16 years, but instead has been accumulated in two lifetimes…

"All the teachings of the sect, you are already know. Sword Arts, martial arts, sabre arts, you understood. With the exception of some principle teachings of the Beyond the Heavens Sect, you have learned everything."

Kakashi lowered his voice and said, "In the future, you will have to take responsibility for yourself. The remaining principle teachings of the sect can only be taught to the ten top disciples. Everything… depends on you."

"Yes," Naruto nodded.

The spot the two were standing was on a mountain top. At this moment a beam of light radiated from the east. The sun suddenly appeared out of the horizon.

Kakashi squinted his eyes, gazing eastward. His eyes looked as if they had been dyed with the countless colors of the spectrum, emitting an indescribable brightness that slowly condensed into a dazzling light.

The sky was brilliantly colored.

Naruto suddenly felt that Master Kakashi's silhouette was very forlorn and alone!

The sun was beginning to show itself, the beams of light were penetrating through the clouds and shone upon Kakashi, creating a very long shadow in the middle of the mountain.

After a very long time, Kakashi said with a deep voice, "Naruto, you were the first child I found. When I held you, during the stormy winter night, I immediately realized that there would be a tragedy for mankind. At that time, I thought… I should throw you away! I did not want to be involved with this disaster for mankind…"

Naruto could not keep himself from shaking. He sharply lifted his head, looking at his master's back. His mouth moved, but he could not say a word.

"But there was something that made me change my mind." With his back towards Naruto, Kakashi stretched out his arm, his fist gradually loosening to reveal a small jade pendant the size of a finger.

This jade pendant was completely purple, like the purple of the horizon at sunrise! It made people feel as if the peculiar purple color was otherworldly.

At the moment the jade was revealed on Kakashi's hand, it was exposed to the sunlight and emitted a thousand rays of incredible brilliance, as if all the purples in heaven and earth were gathered there!

This was, indeed, a very valuable piece of jade!

With just one glance, Naruto had come to that conclusion. In his previous life, he had traveled everywhere under the heavens and have seen many extraordinary treasures. He had also seen countless jade masterpieces. But there were few that were comparable to that small jade pendant.

Kakashi whispered, "This piece of gemstone is pure purple jade essence. Even though it is somewhat small, it is an extremely pure piece of jade essence. This type of pure purple jade essence is hard to find even in a thousand years. You have to have a thousand pieces of the best jade to compare to the value of this one! It takes the pure purple jade over a thousand years to form a piece of jade essence!"

Kakashi turned around. "This piece of pure purple jade essence is priceless! When I found you, this gem was worn on a cord around your neck."

His gaze was like electric current driving into Naruto's face, making Naruto feel like his face was burning.

Naruto's throat twitched. It suddenly felt dry. He put out his hands and received this priceless piece of pure purple jade essence. His strong arms suddenly became shaky. This piece of gemstone is the only link to my true identity.

"In the middle of the gemstone, there is the word Naruto," Kakashi said unhurriedly, "The surface of the jade essence is without a single blemish. On the inside, there appeared such a word. The level of cultivation needed to achieve this, even if Master chased after on a horse, I would not be able to reach it! The word Naruto is either your first name or your last name."

"When I carried you away and climbed up the mountain, the color of the sky suddenly became clear, just as the night was over and the sun slowly appeared…"

He paused a moment, then continued, "Just like right now. The sun had just come up. Like the sincere emotion of my entire life. I immediately named you Naruto."

There was slight bitterness in his voice. The tone remained calm, but it seemed as if an old emotion suddenly was brought to mind.

"I hope that you will not let the name Naruto down. As well as not letting down this piece of pure purple jade essence."

Kakashi took a deep breath. His emotions once again settled.

"Your background surely cannot be ordinary. If you had continued to be ordinary like before, then I wouldn't have given you the jade! But strangely enough, I had hoped that you would continue to be ordinary like that for the rest of your life."

Kakashi whispered, "I had hoped that you would be able to go through your days in peace."

He did not turn his head, but his eyes were filled with emotions. Like a suffering father who can only hope that his son will live a peaceful life and not dare have some distant dreams of great wealth and privilege.

Great wealth and power often have proportional dangers. No parents want their children to endure any sorts of danger.

Naruto quietly listened and did not interrupt. But in his heart a storm was emerging.

Hearing Kakashi's words, Naruto cannot cease to wonder. At first, it seemed to be just a little narrative about Naruto's life alone, but he can hear from those words that there were some hidden information.

From a piece of valuable purple jade, rare in this world. The writing was carved inside but the surface is undamaged. Pure purple jade is inherently difficult to damage by swords as well as force of internal energy… This is pure purple jade essence, it is obviously a lot harder.

Even a Revered Martial Artist would have difficulty engraving it, let alone the fact the surface was undamaged and the engraving is inside.

Perhaps it was carved by someone with King or Majesty level? Or even higher cultivation than that?

Such a precious item was too rare in this world to be found around a baby's neck. And why was that baby thrown away? What secrets were hidden behind this story?

My identity is shrouded in an endless rolling fog… If I want to melt away this fog, I would have to put in just as much effort. Since this was carved by someone sixteen years ago, his cultivation level must be Majesty or higher…

Naruto bit his lips; his gaze became calm. It is possible that I was not discarded. There must be some reason behind all of this.

This line of thought was like warm sun rays that warmed the frost in his heart, making his mind peaceful once again.

He slowly clenched his hand, securing the Pure Purple Jade Essence inside his fist.

The jade essence was smooth and cold, but under the force of Naruto hand something strange happened. The energy inside his body began to automatically flow. When coming into contact with the jade essence a strange warmth emanated from the palm of his hand and entered the meridians, making Naruto's entire body warm… All the exhaustion from the days of cultivation suddenly dissipated!

Naruto was overcome. He abruptly looked at Kakashi.

"Your feeling is correct." Kakashi smiled, "This piece of pure purple jade essence can help restore martial power with the fastest speed. It may have other properties as well. You must guard it carefully! However, you should not depend on it too much."

"Yes!"

Naruto's eyes were filled with appreciation. With a treasure like this on hand, one can indeed cultivate day and night. Martial power will obviously advance very quickly. Regardless of whose hand the gemstone falls into, that person would probably keep it for their own.

If Kakashi did not reveal this, Naruto would have gone through his entire life without ever knowing. Even if it was placed in front of him, he would not know that this was the link to his identity.

But Kakashi had quietly guarded it for sixteen years to return it to its owner today.

Kakashi's sentiment was rare in this world.

For Naruto, this gesture of Kakashi was many times more precious than the Pure Purple Essence Jade!

When Kakashi said not to be too reliant on the gemstone, Naruto also understood. Without the feeling of exhaustion, the body will not be able to get to its extreme limit. For a martial artist, only in being able to feel the extreme limit can one break beyond the current level.

Kakashi said slowly, "Based on this jade pendant, I can say that if you are not from a family of great wealth then at the least a powerful one! Before your power is fully developed, you should not be concerned about this. It might bring disaster upon you! If such an unfortunate thing were to happen, I fear all of Beyond the Heavens Sect will not be able to save your life! You must remember that!"

"Yes, I will keep your words in mind." Naruto earnestly agreed. Ever since he saw this pure purple jade essence, he already had the same thought.

"One of master's biggest wishes in life is to bring glory to Beyond the Heavens Sect! And protect Beyond the Heavens Sect!" Kakashi said solemnly, "You already have an aspiration to become powerful, so please help me protect Beyond the Heavens Sect and take care of it well!"

"Yes!" Naruto responded to this request with a nod. Others might not know, but Naruto was quite clear on the impending tragedy that would fall upon Beyond the Heavens Sect in four years. Today, in accepting, he has shouldered this burden.

Currently, with his poor cultivation, it would be almost impossible to take on this responsibility even if he tried a hundred thousand times more than others.

Anyway, I now have my first goal in life!

It is Beyond the Heavens Sect!

Once Beyond the Heavens Sect is freed from this tragedy, I will traverse under the heavens looking for the Nine Tribulations Sword and Hinata while also trying to shed light on my identity.

Naruto's goals after his rebirth were fairly simple: Hinata and Nine Tribulations Sword. Finding Hinata, he would live the rest of his life loving her. Find Nine Tribulations Sword, he would advance to the peak.

Ambiguous background. In his previous life, he did not know the story of the pure purple jade essence nor did he hope to discover his true identity… He had had little affection for the sect. However, they had all now come together at once.

"Why did master say these words to me today?" Naruto mused for a moment then continued, "You have never mentioned any of this before."

Kakashi smiled, looked at the far horizon where there were red clouds as if painted with fresh blood, and calmly said, "Beyond the Heavens Sect has many disciples, but they cultivate for the sake of practice. Just that only."

He stopped talking for a long time, then slowly said, "The way you practiced today, it is for walking the jiang hu."

Naruto remained silent, saying nothing.

Kakashi directed his gaze in the the direction of the rising sun and sighed. This was a very long sigh as if it had been repressed inside him for decades.

He looked at the sun. There was a mysterious appearance on his face as if remembering with a feeling of pain and loss… In short, his countenance was complex like he was immersed in a dream that he could not escape from.

Naruto remained quiet for a while, and then eventually asked in a low voice:

"Master just said that protecting Beyond the Heavens Sect is only one of your greatest wishes. But what are your other wishes? If it so happens that I can help, I will of course join in your effort to fulfill them."

Upon hearing his question, Kakashi's body began to tremble as if suffering from an electric shock. His face suddenly paled like an long-buried, painful memory was rekindled. He stood bewildered. His eyes filled with misery and shock, but he remained quiet as if he had turned into stone.

A long time after, as if still in a dream, he bowed and said:

"Wind and rain cannot wipe the scars in our hearts, misery cannot destroy love; since ancient times, nobody took this lightly, with separation do we know emptiness and desolation…"

His voice was very low like whispers and sorrowful moans in a dream. His was a kind of pent-up feeling that was about to explode. However, he can only groan in despair and endless loneliness.

When they reached his ears, Naruto felt that his master has placed his broken heart and misfortunes into those short words…

This feeling made Naruto suddenly remembered his previous life at the battle of Wind and Thunder Platform. In a moment of hopelessness with no way out, he thought of Hinata with sorrow and a broken heart.

Kakashi's current situation was not different from his back then. It was as if the heart was almost dead. Did master experience the regret of a lifetime?

Maybe it was this that made master change. Not paying attention to anything. Not caring about anything.

Naruto's heart was restless, when he looked up Kakashi's shadow with his hands clasped behind his back had quietly left. Before leaving, he did not speak even a single word to Naruto.

There seemed to still be a heavy air. After some time, it still did not dissipate.

Naruto was stunned for a long time. He vaguely felt that Kakashi was suffering some kind of unimaginable miserable, bitter situation. Whatever happened that made a heaven-sent genius of the Beyond the Heavens Sect to become like this?

This knot in his master's heart; if he had the chance, he would definitely help his master get rid of it.

Naruto took one breath in, his gaze narrowed. He swung his sword; sword Chakra filled the air!

During this sword training, from beginning to end, he vigorously practiced. After finishing with drawing the sword and putting it back into the sheath, he practiced connecting the different moves. Each move and each method seemed easy-going, but were not.

Regardless of whether it was protecting the Beyond the Heavens Sect, finding Hinata or fulfilling his master's aspirations, it would all require power.

Without power, one would have to depend on others to fulfill their own desires.

Naruto casually wore the pure purple jade essence pendant. As long as his Chakra did not activate it, it was not much different from other gemstones.

Naruto intended that until the completion of the first phase of cultivation, he would not use the recovering ability of the pendant. According to Kakashi's words, if he relied too much on external things, then not only would there be no benefits, but there could also be bad consequences.

The only way was to pour drop by drop of sweat; slowly working hard to have a solid foundation. Only then can you have a deep understanding! If you keep depending on external forces, then even if your martial strength were to advance quickly, your cultivation state will never reach its peak. This will become a deficiency that you cannot make up in your entire life.

A Martial Great Master has the mental state of a Martial Great Master. Then, he has to stop there and make sure to understand all the principles before advancing into Revered Martial Artist.

If a Martial Warrior got lucky and suddenly obtained a thousand years of martial strength but without the understanding to go with it, then he cannot become a Supreme Martial Artist. He would still be a Martial Warrior!

At most, he would be an abnormal Martial Warrior.

So every step has to be firm!

Being taught the path from another person is different from climbing to the top by yourself. Getting thrown by others, you would surely fall and end up dead!


	7. Chapter 7

Time went by quickly, at lunch, Naruto came face to face with Obito. Obito's countenance was overcast with not even a little spirit. He was melancholy and listless.

Everyone knew that Dan Kato's incident would definitely not be ignored. Second Elder Martial Uncle's disciples would want to take revenge for Dan Kato, even if it was just to kiss up to their master.

Currently, they had not come because they were still plotting. This was by no means over…

Rock Lee was innocently gnawing on chicken legs without a care. He ate to the point that his hands were covered in grease. Naruto was also very happy, he sat down and open his mouth wide to eat, as fast as the wind breaking the clouds. Only Obito had no interest; he forcefully put rice in his mouth, but it was as tasteless as water. After a few bites, he let out a long sigh.

His dark gaze constantly glared at Naruto. The anger in his eyes seemed to be about to explode outward.

"Obito! We heard you were very formidable? Even something about being the number one disciple? Ha ha! Come out here and enlighten us. Let's have a little competition." At this time there was a loud noise coming from outside, followed by a wave of laughter. Judging from the sound, there were about seven or eight people.

"That's right, that's right. Obito dared to call himself the number one disciple amongst the youth, he truly does not know how the word death is written!"

"Number one disciple? Is Obito worthy? Quickly come out and kneel and beg for mercy!"

Finally, trouble finds it way. Even Naruto did not expect it to come so soon. Obito's color changed, his face became white. He gave Naruto a menacing look.

'Number one amongst all youth,' these were the words that Naruto acclaimed. At the time, Obito was very pleased with these words; but afterward, he finally understood that it was a mud pit he could not pull out from! Only, it was too late!

Now those words were like a knife that cut through his heart.

Mockery, truly brilliant mockery!

Furthermore, it was the most troublesome issue in the Beyond the Heavens Sect. Currently, there were none amongst the disciples of the eighth generation who did not want this number one title. This Eldest Martial Brother position! Having the right to enter the Seven Shades Congregation Ground…

Dan Kato's martial brothers did not dare to make trouble and avenge for Dan Kato outright, but the title 'number one disciple' that Naruto gave Obito was a very good excuse.

The sect secretly supported disciples competing amongst each other. Obito could imagine that there would be a lot more trouble coming to his door.

Naruto bent down and continued eating, as if he did not hear all the shouts of ridicule coming from outside. Nor the resentful gaze that Obito was giving him. He thought to himself. Ha, ha, in this life, if I cannot play this false hero to death, then it would be a waste of my rebirth…

The eight young people were all wearing blue/green clothing with red belts, their sleeves also had a red borders. This was the color of Locking Clouds Peak. As opposed to Purple Bamboo Garden that Naruto belonged to which used a purple belt.

The eyes of the eight were filled with scorn as Obito walked out.

Dan Kato was the only son of Don Kato. Being pampered every day had made him disagreeable with all his martial brothers. But even if they didn't get along with him, when he was being looked down upon by outsiders, they would take revenge even if it were not exactly for his sake.

This was an excellent opportunity to kiss up!

"So, Elder Martial Brothers Asuma and Aoba has come to visit. Please forgive Obito for not giving you a proper welcome." Even though Obito's expression was unsightly, he continued to speak ceremoniously.

"Obito, this Aoba dare not receive anything from you." Asuma said harshly. "Not to mention that you are 'number one amongst all youths' of the Beyond the Heavens Sect. With my cultivation, I would not dare be your elder martial brother."

Of course, he borrowed 'number one amongst all youths'!

Obito countenance became increasingly ugly. His hatred for Naruto has reached its peak. He suddenly thought back. Perhaps, back then, Naruto said these words to leave an excuse for these guys to come here.

Asuma was about thirty years old and was the eldest disciple of Don Kato. Aoba was about 27-28 years old and was the second eldest disciple.

The rest were junior disciples. After hearing Asuma, they all laughed loudly.

"Obito, come, come, let me try out the skills of the number one disciple!" Aoba took one step forward and pointed his sword in Obito's direction.

"How can I be Aoba's opponent?" Obito urgently said with humility. These guys must be kidding, how would he dare make a move? The opponents were a total of eight people. And Asuma had a higher martial ranking than him. As for Aoba and the other six, they were lower, but not by much. These opponents clearly wanted to cause trouble, how could Obito have any advantage. He only needed to make a move, then he would be beaten until his parents couldn't recognize him.

As for Rock Lee and Naruto, their martial strengths were lacking, they were not of any use. It was only him against the eight people.

Just because Obito didn't make a move, doesn't mean that Aoba would just stand around. Suddenly, there was a loud smack and a flash, followed by a 'pop' and a 'swoosh'. Followed consistently one 'swoosh' after another.

It turned out that, without saying anything, Aoba had smacked Obito in the face, followed by kicking in his stomach. Both the smack and the kicks were very strong. Obito did not have time to avoid them. In pain, he plopped to the ground.

Obito knew that if he took care to not fight back, then he would only be hit a little and nothing big would happen. Fighting back would mean that he might not even survive. Facing the kicks of the enemy, he could only grit his teeth and bear the blows.

"This rude guy dare to beat me!" Aoba committed robbery and screamed for help at the same time. "This mother******, such pain! Truly he is worthy to be the Beyond the Heavens sect number one disciple! Brothers, he is really dangerous, quickly save me…"

"This is bad. Second Elder Martial Brother is suffering. Charge!"

Six people shot off like bees. They beat Obito as if he were a sandbag, punching and kicking, like the rushing of the wind. With each hit, they called out, "How dare you beat Second Elder Martial Brother?!"

"He was having a fair discussion, Obito dared take a sneak attack."

"Let's beat this shameless guy to death…"

There were also some who were beating Obito and screaming at the top of their lungs, "Obito, just because you are at Purple Bamboo Garden, doesn't mean you should be so arrogant. You… you… stop… Second Martial Brother, are you alright?"

It all sounded like Aoba was being beaten to death.

Aoba stood on the side, screaming out tragically, "Pain! I'm dying… Obito, you are so cruel…"

Initially, Obito still groaned and begged for mercy, but gradually, with each hit, his body curled up and he went into shock…

The seven people were still angry, they continued beating him for a while before stopping. Everyone was panting. Aoba wiped his sweat off and said, "That was dangerous, this kid almost beat me to death…"

"That's right, that's right, this Obito is really devious." Said another.

Rock Lee stared to the point that his eyes were red. He wanted to jump out, but Naruto stopped him. With so many opponents, Rock Lee would not have been able to do anything. He would only be beaten up like Obito… Moreover, Obito getting beaten up was a beautiful scene. How could he ruin that…

From a distance, in the shadows of the bamboo forest, Kakashi let out a long sigh. Quietly looking at a comatose Obito in the middle of the yard, his eyes were like ice and snow, freezing to the bone!

If Kakashi were Obito's master, then how could he have stood there and watched as this situation unfolded? However, he was currently filled with disappointment. Kakashi had always taught his disciples to have principles that they should solve their own problems. When they fail, he would come and aid them. Today, if Obito had at least some dignity to stand up and fight with his opponents, then Kakashi would have protected his disciple.

Even if he had to fight straight into Locking Clouds Peak, Kakashi would do it! When your kids get beaten up, then they have someone to lean on. Would it not be the same with his disciples?

Kakashi had already prepared everything carefully!

However, he saw Obito's cowardice in not fighting back and taking a beating just to preserve his life. This was no different from not having any conviction nor any manliness. What can such behavior achieve if one day a powerful enemy attacked? Would you kneel and kowtow to him?

Patience must also have its limits!

I can fight for you, but you have to show that you are worthy of my efforts. I can cover for you once, but not your whole life. Everything depends on you.

Such was the main principle taught by Kakashi. Though others might find it hard to understand, but this was a method to help his disciples survive in Jiang Hu.

Enthusiasm and courage! Even though these two qualities were often seen as the impulsiveness of youth and also the cause of tragedy, however it was undeniable that without these two virtues, then you could not become powerful even with a thousand years of cultivation.

Although enthusiasm and courage were considered defects, but in order to become powerful, you could not lack these two things.

Kakashi felt extremely disappointed with Obito. He didn't want to intercede anymore…

In the Purple Bamboo Forest, standing a far distance from Kakashi were two people lost in their own thoughts. They were also watching the comedy that was unfolding in the yard. These two were Sect Master of the Beyond the Heavens Sect, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and Master of Dream Clouds Peak, Mitokado. It was not known why these two have come; moreover, they were even excited to watch these youths fighting with each other.

If Naruto were to see these two, he would surely be surprised.

When they saw Obito lying curled up and unconscious on the ground, covered in dirt and blood, Aoba and Asuma lost all interest and halted. They had previously thought that Obito who was so arrogant and dared to fight with Dan Kato would at least put up a fight.

Much to their surprise, they encountered a sandbag who did not dare to move, letting others do as they pleased.

They worried that hitting him too hard might lead to murder and immediately prepared to leave.

Just as they were leaving, a voice spoke slowly, "Hey, are you guys just leaving like that?"

Asuma and his group immediately stopped.

The other person continued, "Eight elder martial brothers got into a fight with Obito and suffered so much. It does not seem right that you leave like that."

Asuma turned around and stared coldly at the speaker and said, "What do you have in mind?"

The seven others turned back as well, to see this surprising newcomer. When they were giving Obito a beating, that guy didn't say anything. Now that it was over, he showed his face.

Perhaps he wants a beating as well!

Naruto smiled peacefully and said, "Elder Martial Brother Aoba have come to our Purple Bamboo Garden and suffered such a big grievance. Junior Martial Brother feels very guilty."

His face had always been cold. But now, he was smiling and talking so intimately, leaving Rock Lee's mouth gaping like he had just seen the devil.

"Oh my god! I have known you for so long, today is the first time I have seen your smile. This life of mine has not been in vain!" Rock Lee was filled with a thousand feelings.

As for Asuma's people, they were very annoyed. Just then, the eight men were beating Obito to the brink of death, while screaming that Obito was beating them.

Naruto was a person from Purple Bamboo Garden, yet he was now following suit and also twisting the truth.

Somehow this made the eight people even more upset.

Naruto stood out not for Obito's sake, of course. If this happened elsewhere, he would have surely acted as if he had not seen a thing and leave. But this had happened at Purple Bamboo Garden, he could not let them leave comfortably like that!

This was Master's sanctuary, it was also his master's face.

The disciples of Locking Clouds Peak came to beat up Kakashi's disciple right at Purple Bamboo Garden and then calmly left; if such a thing were known, Kakashi's reputation would suffer a tremendous blow.

Even though Kakashi never minded such things, Naruto could not help but care.

From the previous life to now, Kakashi has always been the person Naruto respected the most.

Obito's beating was exactly as he had planned, but those who dared to come to Purple Bamboo Garden to beat up people, they too should suffer the consequences!

As he saw it, these were two different things.

How should I kill with a borrowed knife? Naruto asked himself. Feeling a little dishonest, he unconsciously rubbed his nose.

Surely it is okay? Even though I'm throwing stones with a hidden hand, these idiots are just a bunch of donkeys.

Moreover, I can use Obito to shield from disaster. With the current situation, I must quickly gain the sword point fragment of the Nine Tribulations Sword, then I can truly trample them under my feet.

If it was a matter of eventuality, then why not a little earlier?

"In the end, what thoughts do you have?" Asuma signaled for his junior martial brothers to stop. Looking haughtily at Naruto, he thought, This kid is at best a Martial Artist at second or third grade. What tricks can he possibly have? No need to bother!

"What I meant was, this is Purple Bamboo Garden, not Locking Clouds Peak." Naruto smiled peacefully but his gaze was as sharp as a knife.

"So what if it is Purple Bamboo Garden?" Asuma said.

"You are from Locking Clouds Peak, even though we are from the same sect, but Locking Clouds Peak is Locking Clouds Peak and Purple Bamboo Garden is Purple Bamboo Garden." Naruto said blandly. "You guys dared to come to cause trouble in Purple Bamboo Garden, has any elder in the sect granted you permission?"

"Cause what trouble?" Aoba glared. "We were only here to have a friendly competition with Junior Martial Brother Obito. Aren't such competitions common in the sect?"

"Right, only a friendly competition!" The rest yelled out. They absolutely could not have the words 'making trouble'.

"Oh? Friendly competition? The rules of the Beyond the Heavens Sect states that friendly competition amongst disciples must have an elder present. Can I ask where that elder is?" Naruto smiled coldly and continued, "Beyond the Heavens Sect rules state that friendly competition can be used to encourage disciples to prove themselves, but there must be an elder to watch over. So I ask you, where is the elder? Beyond the Heavens Sect also has a rule that friendly competitions need an agreement, so can I ask you where that agreement is?"

"You…" Aoba was tongue-tied.

When they came there, they already knew that Kakashi was at Purple Bamboo Garden. They figured they only had to ask him for permission for a friendly competition, then everything would pass smoothly.

Moreover, it also would have brought great reputation to Locking Clouds Peak. "You guys think about this, we come in the name of friendly competition, but it is, in fact, to avenge junior martial brother. The place of our competition is Purple Bamboo Garden, so we can have Junior Martial Uncle Kakashi preside over the competition." Everything was open and upright conduct, the plan was perfect and without any flaws.

If Dan Kato had come home injured and Locking Clouds Peak did not react, that would be a strange thing.

However, they did not expect to come and find only three people. So they just said one or two sentences and immediately took action.

Surprisingly, after the beating, someone was asking about the rules.

Without an elder there, there was no way they could win this argument.

"Gibberish! Today, it was Obito who provoked a fight and hit Elder Martial Brother Aoba first. Elder Martial Brother Aoba fought back in self-defense."

One of the youth's eyes open wide as he spoke brazenly.

Naruto coldly looked at him and said, "If so, then Elder Martial Brother Aoba's injuries must be serious, huh?"

"Of course!" The youth's face turned red, but he continued speaking firmly. "Look, Elder Martial Brother has a wound on his rib and in the front on his chest, there's another wound. His whole body is covered with injuries!"

"Oh, then today was not a friendly competition then?" Naruto delighted, tilted his head. "Why is your face so red? Did you do something against your conscience?"

"Of course… of course, it was not a competition." Aoba persevered as he babbled on.

The eight of them had just said in unison that it was a friendly competition. Now, under Naruto's sharp questioning, they immediately changed their tune and said it was not a competition.

"Then, when you get back, you will report that then?" Naruto smiled and asked.

"Of course, we have to be honest. The sect has bestowed upon us favor greater than mountains, how could we tell a lie?"

When everyone heard Aoba say these words, they could not help but turn a little red themselves.

"But this doesn't seem to fit too well. Elder Martial Brother Aoba, look, if you have suffered such great injustice, but your body shows little injuries, would it not be hard to convince the elders?" Naruto spoke sincerely. "Elder Martial Brother Aoba, how about you let me help you? What do you think?"

"You, help me?" Aoba eyes narrowed as he spoke. "You help me with what?"

"I will help you create a few injuries on your body." Naruto said with an honest smile. "Elder Martial Brother Aoba, I am only thinking of you! When you tell the elders about this incident, but they don't see any injuries, they will think that you are lying. According to the traditional rules, surely you will be punished. Would it not be better if I give you a few cuts, some light punches, plus some kicks? Do you think that's okay?"

"Ha, ha," Aoba laughed loudly and gave Naruto a condescending look. "So you are Naruto? Junior Martial Brother Dan told us that we could deal with Obito, but we must save you for him to deal with. Ha, ha… that was why we did not touch you. Surprisingly, you want to help us? Ha, ha, with your lame skills, how would you help us?"

"Let's give it a try and see!" Naruto said intimately. "Perhaps Elder Martial Brother Aoba will see that my words are true and will stand still and let me make a few wounds. Wouldn't that be very comfortable?"

Aoba smiled and said casually, "Our Beyond the Heavens Sect, in the nine peaks and one garden, there are a total of 796 disciples, males and females. We are ranked annually. I, Aoba, am untalented, but still ranked nineteen. May I ask what rank you are, Naruto?"

After Aoba raised his question, the youths behind roared with laughter. Everyone knew that the top ten positions of Beyond the Heavens Sect disciples were held by the Nine Peaks. The eldest disciple of Purple Bamboo Garden, Obito, only held position number 13. The two positions above him were also held by disciples from the Peaks.

It seemed as if the ranking had been turned upside down. Naruto and Rock Lee, ordinary disciples, were now in confrontation with Aoba, one of the top twenty disciples. The difference in ranking between them were about 700 fold; this was indeed a case of a cat licking a tiger's nose… death wish!

Naruto only laughed, a very ordinary laugh, but extremely cold. It was currently summer time, the weather was hot; but Naruto's laughter was like an icy wind, blown from the peaks of snowy mountains, making everybody chilled to the bone.

Naruto's gaze became icy as he spoke slowly, "Purple Bamboo Garden's honor is not for the likes of you to desecrate. Moreover, the traditional rules of Beyond the Heavens Sect are not for you to break. Aoba, today, you will help me set the rules!"

Sooner or later, I would have to step over people to become the top disciple! If so, let it begin today!

Today's battle will be my first battle to rise up in the Beyond the Heavens Sect!

I, Naruto, from back then until now, have always stood in front of the wind, the peak of the waves; always ready to meet other fighters' challenges. Despite my being the lowest rank after my resurrection, I still have my dignity and courage. Standing high, you cannot avoid the cold wind.

One third grade martial pupil with poor cultivation going against a second grade martial warrior. To establish his reputation? No need to wonder, this was truly a joke. The people behind Aoba immediately laughed, their eyes glared at Naruto, as if looking at a stupid fool.

"Rubbish, you want to establish your reputation? You want to use Elder Martial Brother Aoba as a stepping stone? Are you feeling feverish?"

"This punk is crazy…"

…

"Junior Martial Brother Qu, in that case, why don't you have a match with Naruto?" The team leader who was in no hurry to make a move, Asuma, stared at Naruto as he spoke slowly, "Do not underestimate the enemy."

His cultivation was higher than Aoba, his senses were much sharper. When Naruto first stepped out, he talked peacefully so Asuma did not feel anything. But now, Naruto's whole aura had changed. Asuma felt a sudden surge of cold and heavy pressure.

Just earlier, Asuma looked down on him; now, he felt like a snowflake amidst the hot sun, about to vaporize any moment without a trace. At this moment, when he saw Naruto's keen eyes, he became a bit frightened. When the words 'do not underestimate the enemy' left Asuma's mouth, the laughter suddenly stopped.

This showed that with this match between Aoba and Naruto, Asuma was not too optimistic about Aoba! Asuma was a prominent character amongst the top ten. Even though he was last, his strength was not ordinary, he was a fourth grade martial warrior. A person like this would naturally be able to distinguish what's important!

Even though Aoba was only a second grade martial warrior, compared to a third grade martial pupil like Naruto, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.

Martial warrior versus martial pupil, clearly genius versus retard…

Was there anything to worry about in this battle?

Naruto calmly smiled. He took one step forward and said, "Aoba, make your move."

With one loud roar, Aoba suddenly flew forth! His movement was agile like a leopard on the hunt. Seeing that Naruto did not draw his weapon, he naturally did the same.

Naruto was preparing to move when his eyes suddenly flashed. At that moment, he suddenly felt as if he was being watched, as if his every movement was being observed from the shadows.

This was the superior spiritual sense that he cultivated in his previous life. This spiritual sense had helped him escape mortal danger countless times. Today, this sense suddenly arose.

Only, he did not feel any killing aura from the people in the shadows. It seemed that they bore no ill will…

Naruto could, in part, guess as to the identities of these people in the shadows. Towards these secretive people, Naruto thought, If God has given me such a good opportunity, let me give you a little bit of excitement and fear.

He did not need to look around, his countenance did not change; he only took measures to receive Aoba's onslaught.

His actions were clearly very ordinary, but to the eyes of the spectators, there was something unfathomable about it. Naruto's upper body remained unmoved, but it looked as if he was rushing forward. On Aoba's part, he discovered that even as he was moving forward, he could not even touch the hem on Naruto's clothes.

In the eyes of everyone present, it was clear that Naruto was moving offensively forward, but he was actually moving backward!

At first glance, he seemed to be an offensive state, but his action was actually that of avoidance!

His bottom half, his legs continued to maintain the stance of moving forward really quickly with flexible movements…

This preposterous phenomenon reversed everyone's perceptions.

In the bamboo forest, Kakashi suddenly opened his mouth wide. He was just about to cry out loud when he came to his senses and shut his mouth so quickly that his teeth slammed together making a loud 'clack' sound. Kakashi felt pain in both his cheeks…

Kakashi was still not completely calm yet; his eyes were wide circles as he stared into the yard. His gaze was full of terror as he witnessed Naruto's fluid movements, like jumping water and floating clouds.

At the same time, in another part of the forest, two other sounds also reverberated. The sounds echoed as if turning the whole atmosphere around them into a vacuum.

Naruto's dodging movements made the three watching thunderstruck!

Without blinking, the three followed Naruto's movements. Their eyes were filled with excitement and joy!

Snow gathers in the cloud,

shocking to the heavens,

as if forward, as if backwards,

as if there, as if gone!

This technique was familiar to everyone in the sect. Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique of Beyond the Heavens Sect! Disciples of every generation have practiced it; everyone knew it. Even the lowest of servants can do a few steps.

However, there had never been anyone who could achieve such effective results as Naruto did just now.

Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique was created by the founder of Beyond the Heavens Sect. That year, this patriarch went up to a mountain top to relax and soak in the warm sun in the winter. As he was lying there, he noticed a white cloud floating in the middle of sky. The color of the snow on the ground seemed to shoot up into the air as the sunlight shined on it.

The light from the snow mixing with the color of the cloud created a mystical effect. There was no wind in the air, but the cloud looked as if it was floating forward, but also floating backwards. Sometimes looking as if it was dispersing, at others, as if it was gathering. One basically could not guess what the movement of the cloud was. mulling

The founder had a moment of enlightenment. After burying himself in his thoughts for two years, he created the technique called Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique as a reminder of the day that heaven and earth gave him that inspiration.

This technique conquered the world. In combination with sword techniques, it has not lost once. Even facing enemies with higher power, he could not be injured.

Unfortunately, no matter how they tried, the later generations could not fully learn Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique. Even in combination with internal Chakra and intensive cultivation, they could not achieve the same results as the founder. They could not use it to attack the enemy, nor could they use it to protect themselves. Therefore, it became the most useless technique of the sect.

Cultivating it was useless, abandoning it seemed wasteful.

Everyone thought the founder was mistaken or did not leave the real technique behind. This became the biggest regret of Beyond the Heavens Sect.

Unexpectedly, a few hundred years later, the mystery of this technique has once again revealed itself with Naruto.

How did he use it like that?

Aoba attacked like mad, but could not even touch the hem of Naruto's clothes. The more he tried to attack, the more unnerved he became. He was a second grade martial warrior. How could he not beat a third grade martial pupil? His martial brothers were watching, how could he lose face?

Aoba's breathing became more labored. He decided to pull out his sword, but before his hand touched the sword, a shadow flashed in front of him and Naruto suddenly appeared. Aoba was horrified. Before he could dodge, there was a 'pow'. He was hit right in the nose!

His nose immediately bled; he was in such pain that tears and snot streamed down on his face.

"Be good, don't cry. This is for your own good." Naruto said in an appeasing manner, but there was no feeling behind it.

His body was like a swimming fish. Afterwards, there were two sounds 'bam' 'bam'. He had hit the side of Aoba's left and right eye. Suddenly, there was a newly made panda.

Aoba was so angry he almost fainted.

The opponent's strength was clearly lower than mine! If his strength was equal to mine, then the last three moves would have sent me to my grave. The opponent clearly used all his strength in those three moves, but I only received some superficial injuries.

This proves that the opponent's strength was indeed much weaker than mine!

Even so, I consecutively suffered. What sort of logic was this?

Aoba was furious. The enemy even goes as far as talking to him as if he were a crying child. The fact that he was indeed tearing made him even more embarrassed and angry to the point that he wanted to die.

He growled. The sound of his sword rang; it has left its sheath. With a wooshing sound like the wind, Aoba immediately went for the kill.

Asuma said quietly, "Not good!" Although he did not understand what was happening, the current Aoba's recklessness was definitely not a rival for Naruto's sophisticated movements. Moreover, his sword technique has placed him in an extremely dangerous situation.

If he did not pull out his sword, then the enemy would not pull out his sword either. So at worst, he would only suffer a few kicks and punches. Not mentioning that his strength was much stronger than the opponent, even a few more kicks and punches would not result in any major injuries nor would it cause any big issue.

But now that he has pulled out his sword, his opponent had reason to do it as well. Now this incident no longer just involved a few punches and kicks…

Metallic light flashed. The sword seemed infinitely dark; Aoba's countenance also darkened. His eyes were murderous. He attacked in a frenzy.

In Naruto's eyes, there suddenly appeared a glimmer of killing intent.

Even though you are not a good person, you did give Obito a beating. I am in a very good mood. I originally did not want to hurt you, but you want to kill me?

You are asking for death!

Naruto still only used his hands. He constantly moved to dodge the flurry of swords.

Aoba's sword seemed to be everywhere, but he could not even touch Naruto's clothes. His killing intent seeped into his bones, growing stronger…

Aoba roared and suddenly jumped up. His sword glittered in mid-air and quickly dropped down. Heavenly Sea Inversion Technique!

This was one of the most powerful killing techniques of Beyond the Heavens Sect. Only when entering the rank of martial warrior are you eligible to cultivate this technique.

Naruto suddenly moved forward instead of backing up. He kept body small and close to the ground.

This was a deadly weakness of Heavenly Sea Inversion Technique. Because the starting movement required jumping up, leaving the bottom exposed. Moreover, the exposed area was very big.

When Aoba just made his move, his opponent was no longer in front of him. His senses screamed danger. He barely had time to think when a very tiny sound was heard from behind him.

What sound was that?

When he still did not know what was going on behind him, the light of a sword suddenly shined. There was screaming from around him!

All this time, Naruto did not pull out his sword. But at this critical moment, he did!

When Aoba was still contemplating, there was suddenly a painful feeling on his back, followed immediately by his left thigh, right thigh, then left shoulder and right shoulder.

Aoba screamed loudly and dropped straight from the air to the ground.

The middle of his back, left shoulder, right shoulder, left thigh, right thigh, all five spots were spurting blood. With the exception of his back, which had a superficial wound, the other four spots had holes from the back to the front!

The whole atmosphere became heavy! Everybody could recognize the movement Naruto used. It was the Five Point Flower Backhand Sword Technique. A very normal, very ordinary, beginner sword technique of Beyond the Heavens Sect. Completely without anything special. It was commonly used to strengthen the body and to create a basic foundation.

However, his movements were extremely precise. When Aoba jumped up, his position was like a thousand soldiers bearing down. Naruto immediately moved behind him without looking back. He used the Five Point Flower Backhand Sword Technique as easily as if he were practicing. The sword landed on each point on the body as if it were a drawing on a book!

Naruto's mastery had allowed him to see Aoba's moves before they were made. Moreover, his movements were agile and quick. He drew his sword with barely a sound. Aoba never thought that tiny sound was the sound of a sword being unsheathed. While his entire concentration was focused on the front, how could he expect that within a flash his enemy would be behind him?

Aoba roared loudly, he turned around and in desperation, threw his sword. He currently no longer wished to win, he only wanted to die together with his enemy. The sword, as if lit, suddenly flashed, missed its target and flew straight into Purple Bamboo Forest instead.

Nobody knew where the sword had flown to. However, Mitokado, who was standing comfortably in the Purple Bamboo Forest watching the excitement and contemplating on Naruto's Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique, did not have a chance to react when the sword flew towards him.

Only a 'swoosh' was heard when the sword pierced through Mitokado's clothes and landed on the ground under him. Mitokado's eyes widened, his mouth dropped, looking at the glimmering sword blade beneath him. He could not help but take a deep breath in. His eyes almost fell out of their sockets and his forehead was dripping with sweat. Within a moment, his back was cold with sweat as well…

The sword landed between his legs, missing it by less than a finger-length. There was even a hole in the pants underneath his robe. It had shrunk itself into a ball, but there was still a dense cold air surrounding the sword…

Mitokado's face turned white. Unable to control himself, he said in a low voice, "This… this was truly a blessing from the heavens…"

Naruto's body swayed as he used the Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique to quickly close in on Aoba. There suddenly appeared a fog on his right hand, bringing with it a frosty cold air. In a flash, his hand landed on Aoba's back.

'Pow!'

A powerful palm!

After a successful move, he immediately turned around and backed away three meters.

When he struck this palm strike, the three standing in the Purple Bamboo Forest all saw clearly that a frosty air came out of Naruto's hand. All at once, their eyes widened and their mouths dropped agape. They almost lost control and yelled out loud.

'Pow!'

Aoba flew into the air like a rubber ball. And after, fell down to the ground like a piece of meat. He cried pitiful in pain as his body curled up, wriggling on the ground, sweating as if he had taken a bath. When he was still in mid-air, blood was spilling everywhere, but the moment he fell down, a layer of frost quickly covered his whole body. The mysterious cold Chakra caused his wounds to seal up and the blood to stop bleeding.

Aoba was writhing on the ground. His tragic appearance made it hard for people to look at. Asuma's group became stupefied, feeling as if they were in a dream. No one could believe that Naruto would have attacked with such cruelty!

To say nothing of the palm, his previous sword move had essentially handicapped Aoba!

There appeared a subtle smile on Naruto. He was forced to use his sword, but the Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique and along with palm strike had ulterior motives. The movement technique was used to avoid Aoba and also to secretly show the others who were watching. Moreover the purpose of the palm strike, with its cold frost, was aimed at… Seven Shades Congregation Grounds!

Seven Shades Absolute Saint Palm! This was the secret technique of Beyond the Heavens Sect, the most powerful technique!

The biggest reason that generations of disciples wanted to advance into the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds was to use the extreme cold air there to cultivate Seven Shades Absolute Saint Palm!

Naruto used this palm technique not to attack Aoba because by that time, Aoba had already lost all capacity to fight back. Then what was purpose behind the palm strike? The reason was to tell the silent observers, "Compared to others, I am already a step ahead!"

As for why he went one step ahead… This point, Naruto believed that Kakashi will wipe his ass for him. In this, Naruto was absolutely certain.

"Naruto, you are truly cruel!" Asuma looked at Aoba's miserable face. His eyes narrowed and immediately looked at Naruto. Grinding his teeth, he said, "You dare to fight a fellow disciple like this."

Naruto pouted. As he tilted his sword, a drop of blood slowly dripped down. The direction of that sword tip pointed directly to an unconscious Obito. Everyone was momentarily quiet.

Aoba was a fellow disciple and Obito was not? They were the ones that started the fight first by beating Obito to his current miserable condition. With the evidence right in front of their faces, what right did they have to call Naruto cruel?

Naruto laughed coldly and said, "First, you came to Purple Bamboo Garden to cause trouble, without the permission of the elders. Second, you were the ones who beat people from Purple Bamboo Garden first. Third, … we already agreed that I would help elder martial brother a little, you have not forgotten that, have you?"

Help… doing a favor?

Looking at Aoba's questionable condition, it seemed he already half lost his life. Everyone could not help but shudder. Help… help like this?!

"Ah, thinking about Elder Martial Brother Dan Jian Yin's incident the other day, it made us three very sad," Naruto said sorrowfully. "Therefore, with everyone coming today, our eldest martial brother did not fight back and let you guys release your anger. This was a way of giving you justice."

With regret, he said, "But as people, we cannot go overboard, you should not have created trouble at Purple Bamboo Garden like that. Let me ask you, did you consider Purple Bamboo Garden's reputation at all? We are all brothers and sisters from the same sect; a rose and leaves are of the same root, why did you seek to yank us out like this?"

Naruto frowned, "You hit people… that's okay, but time and time again, you wanted to make yourselves out to be the victim. You… ! How are you so shameless?"

As these words were spoken, almost everyone was so angry that they wanted to choke up blood. In the bamboo forest, three people who were watching secretly also felt like their brains were scrambled.

How can be there be such shameless people? They already had the upper hand and yet still cried for pity.

"Do you see? I easily won with just a little bit of my abilities, so you can imagine Eldest Martial Brother Obito's abilities. Compared to me, he is many times stronger!"

Full of anguish, Naruto said, "Eldest Martial Brother's martial cultivation is beyond all of you, but he did not fight back and let you hit him as you pleased. What else do you want? Do you need to kill someone to relieve your anger?"

Hearing that, Asuma's group of people turned around and looked at the unconscious Obito, feeling a little uneasy.

That's right, if the junior martial brother's abilities were already that incredible, then Obito who was the eldest martial brother, must be so much more…

How could he possibly be a weak guy?

It seemed that at the next ranking competition for the sect's eldest martial brother position , Obito is to be a rival for everyone.

"Today, you have hurt us, but we still did you a favor. Even though we suffered some disadvantages, but we are not the ungrateful type. Furthermore, we are disciples of the same sect; there are no reasons to quarrel. Let us call this even…" With generosity and leniency, Naruto continued, "Out of respect for Second Elder Martial Uncle, I will not pursue this matter any further."

Asuma's people felt their head spinning. They were so overwhelmed that they could barely breathe and almost fainted on the spot. You beat someone into a bloody pulp, barely alive. And you say you're going to let us go? Further still, you used that tone of generosity and respect…

"Of course, if all of you elder martial brothers also want my help, I will not refuse. I always believe that finding happiness in helping others is a virtue. Therefore, I steadfastly remember all the teachings of the sect." Naruto smiled in embarrassment. "Even though the things I said seems boastful, but it is true that I am that type of person, always finding happiness in helping others. It has become a habit for me, helping those in need, rescuing those in danger, especially when it comes to brothers and sisters from the sect. After all, we are all members of the same family. Yes, even if the head must drop and the blood must flow, we must help each other wholeheartedly."

Asuma looked at Aoba still sprawled in the yard and shuddered. This is what you call helping others? Help, mother******, we are not fools!

The gazes of the others were focused on Asuma. They were waiting for his cue, but Asuma was in the difficult position of riding on the tiger's back. Even though he was ranked number ten and his martial strength was much higher than Aoba, after seeing Naruto in action, he knew that he was absolutely not Naruto's opponent!

With such monstrous techniques, even he would have suffered from those attacks!

If he had attacked and unfortunately lost at the hands of Naruto, it would have been devastating to Locking Clouds Peak! This would have been a responsibility that he could not bear.

"Naruto, you are good! This matter stops here today!"

Asuma thought for a moment, then quickly said, "If the mountain won't move, then the water will. The Ranking Competition for the sect's eighth generation will start soon; at that time Locking Clouds Peak will have a chance to face off with Purple Bamboo Garden. At that time, we will have a chance to end it once and for all in front of the whole sect."

"Let's go!"

The seven others carried Aoba and went back towards the direction they came from. Before going, they turned to look at Naruto one more time; their hearts were filled with fear, jealousy… and all other type of feelings.

Being from the same sect, who would dare to seriously harm another disciple? Even when they beat Obito, they had restraint. They did not hit him in any vital areas, they only wanted to break a few bones so he would suffer and repent.

However, Naruto, on his first move, pierced Aoba's both arms and legs. No one would dare use such cruel methods.

Naruto watched as the seven slowly faded away into the distance. His countenance was pensive and serious.

Naruto was completely victorious, that was indisputable!

However, no one knew that from this battle, Naruto has realized his own weakness.

This battle, in terms of experience, there was nothing worth mentioning. Naruto's skills and experience were a few decades more than that of Aoba. Therefore, each time the opponent started an attack, he was able to predict their movements and devise countermeasures. He had an absolute advantage!

Naruto had always thought that even though their martial strengths were higher than his, but with his experience and skills, beating them would have been without any difficulty.

However, this battle taught him that he was wrong!

Experience and skill did not mean everything. When an enraged Aoba went straight for him, Naruto knew that he only needed to use one finger to push on the sword tip, then he could send the sword sideways and thus put Aoba in a dangerous situation of no return. After that, he only needed one strong move to crush Aoba's dantian!

In fact, he did just so. Only, when his finger touched the sword, it could not pushed the sword away. He went as far as using his arm, trying with all his might; but he could not do anything!

Aoba was a second grade martial warrior, compared to a third grade martial pupil, he was stronger by countless times. With his martial strength, no matter what strategy he used, Naruto was not Aoba's opponent!

Out of necessity, Naruto had to use his sword! Because merely fighting by fists, Naruto did not have any ability to cause injury to his opponent.

To the spectators, Naruto's use of Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique seemed flexible and effortless, but no one knew the amount of pressure involved with each movement!

In fact, even Aoba did not know that within that brief period, how many times Naruto had to rethink his tactics and change his attack. He should be proud of the fact that he forced Naruto to use his sword.

Even after pulling his sword, Naruto did not dare to hesitate. If he hesitated, the enemy could counter attack in full force! Then, Naruto would not have been able to defend himself because he had nothing else after executing his sword technique.

Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique, once cultivated completely, would prevent anyone from being able to attack you. But when attacking others, a weakness will appear! Even though Aoba did not catch that flaw, that does not mean others wouldn't!

Defensively, it was absolutely flawless. But avoidance was far from victorious; attacking was the only means to winning. However, the perfection of the technique was lost during attack and would surely show its flaw.

Everything is interconnected! When you attack the weakness of your opponent, then your weakness would be shown to him!

Naruto was full of thought when his eyes suddenly glimmered with a flash of light.

Strength! Strength is essential!

Cunning and experience only works with opponents of the same or lesser level. However, in the face of a powerful opponent, cunning and experience is only a joke.

Strength was the thing that Naruto currently lacked most.

Rock Lee, who was standing on the side, has long been stunned since a while ago. Suddenly, at this point, he yelled out enthusiastically, "Naruto! You are very… very handsome… very outstanding…"

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Of course, compared to me, you are still a little less…"

"Handsome… haha…"

Naruto nodded, "Rock Lee, starting tomorrow, every morning, you and I will cultivate together. I hope that one day, I will be as handsome as you!"

Rock Lee's face immediately became downcast. Then he laughingly said, "Elder martial brother… then is it possible for you to be more handsome than me?"

Naruto smiled and said, "Rock Lee, you see, currently Beyond the Heavens Sect is filled with people who bully the weak and fear the strong, who do things and dare not admit it. It is almost time for the Ranking Competition and these people will be the ones to inherit Beyond the Heavens Sect in the future."

Naruto's voice was slightly as if speaking for someone else to hear. There was an air of mockery in his voice as he continued, "The burden of Beyond the Heavens Sect will sooner or later fall on these people, but how could people like them take care of beyond the heavens sect? I fear that they would more likely bring forth the destruction of the sect! Rock Lee, I hope you can become strong and be able to protect yourself. So people won't have to die for you in vain."

Seeing Naruto suddenly become serious like that, Rock Lee nodded his head repeatedly, even though he was a little confused.

Naruto smiled as he and Rock Lee carried Obito in. Obito was still unconscious, so he had no inkling of the events that passed. He also did not know that after today's fight, he would become famous amongst the disciples of Beyond the Heavens Sect.


	8. Chapter 8

After returning, Asuma's group immediately spread the news far and wide: Obito was a hidden talent and was the number one opponent for all the top disciples.

Naruto was only his junior martial brother and he could beat Aoba! Then, how monstrous was the elder martial brother, Obito?

Only by looking at Aoba's injuries was enough for the disciples of the nine peaks to put Obito in the rankings of dangerous characters.

In his comatose state, Obito could not dream that he had unintentionally become a major character in Beyond the Heavens Sect. The future truly could not be predicted; a person gains fame from current events, there's no way to know ahead of time…

Naruto's keen spiritual sense perceived the people watching his fight from within the bamboo forest. Even though he did not know who they were, he was able to recognize that they were high ranking members of Beyond the Heavens Sect.

That was why Naruto said those confusing lines to Rock Lee; even though he had really intended to give Rock Lee advice, it was mainly aimed at the three people.

If Beyond the Heavens Sect was to depend on those useless people, then it will never grow. Only I, Naruto, can take care of it.

If he wanted to achieve the top disciple position and enter into Seven Shades Congregation Grounds to acquire the Nine Tribulations Sword fragment, then his every word and action had to be noticed by those high ranking people.

Otherwise, he would have to wait for four years, when Beyond the Heavens Sect was to be destroyed, to get the sword fragment. But by then, what would be the point?

If he openly got the attention of high ranking members of Beyond the Heavens Sect, then he would become a core member of the sect. At that time, he would only need to announce, "Leave all of the burdens of Beyond the Heavens Sect to me!"

Arrogance! Let's give arrogance a try once, and see how that turns out.

A long time after Naruto and Rock Lee had gone, there was movement in the bamboo forest. Within the endless purple of the bamboo, there suddenly appeared three silhouettes. All three had a thoughtful look upon their faces. Naruto's last few words seemed to have hit its target.

Kakashi moved; he immediately appeared next to the other two without making a sound. He said with a smile, "Eldest Martial Brother, Seventh Martial Brother, your visit to Purple Bamboo Garden gave me a shock."

The two were Sect Master of Beyond the Heavens Sect, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Master of Dream Clouds Peak, Mitokado. However, at this time, Mitokado's face was pale and white. There was a hole in his pants where the sound of wind blowing through could be heard, making the Master of Dream Clouds Peak hold his legs together in embarrassment. His position had a strange appearance…

"We should be the ones who are frightened!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "Junior Martial Brother, just you being secretive is not a problem. But why did you train such a perfect disciple and not say anything? Just now, we were almost endangered by your disciple!"

Mitokado nodded repeatedly, in agreement with Hiruzen Sarutobi. "Especially me, I was so scared that little Mitokado almost shriveled up."

These words truly carried some dark thoughts.

Naruto's performance, regardless of whichever technique you looked at, was enough for the two high ranking experts of Beyond the Heavens Sect to be surprised, even shocked!

There was the ephemeral Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique, there was the frightening Five Point Flower Backhand Sword Technique. In addition, there was the incredible mental clarity and the ability to seize the opportunity. These have made the two very important characters of Beyond the Heavens Sect extremely surprised.

The two thought to themselves that if they had the same martial power as Naruto, in today's situation, they would not have been able to act so high-handedly and dominate as Naruto did.

This disciple of Kakashi was definitely skilled!

With a sad smile, Kakashi said, "You almost fell over in amazement. As for me, my jaw almost fell to the ground. Elder Martial Brother, look at my eyes, see how they are still red? I could not believe that my disciple could be so monstrous…."

As he said this a slight hint of annoyance appeared on his face…

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mitokado were smiling since earlier. But suddenly Mitokado became shocked. He realized the meaning behind Kakashi's words. "You are saying… is it possible that kid's martial arts was not taught by you?"

Kakashi's eyes shifted; he didn't want to admit the truth, but ultimately, he sighed in resignment, "Even though I did teach him, but even I… "

The two others at this moment were so astonished that their hairs stood on end. If the teacher who taught the technique did not manage complete cultivation; then when the disciple was successful, there could only be one explanation: heavenly endowment! Heavenly endowment second to none!

Hiruzen Sarutobi had originally thought that Kakashi had mastered the cultivation of Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique; he was inwardly filled with joy. Now hearing Kakashi saying thus, he was temporarily dazed. After a long time, he said with a contorted smile, "Then that Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique was due to…"

Kakashi nodded resolutely. "I, myself, did not successfully cultivate…"

Both Hiruzen Sarutobi and Mitokado were bewildered!

"Could it be that he cultivated it by himself?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, as he twirled his beard in agitation.

"I, too, do not know," Kakashi sighed and continued, "My disciple is extremely clever. It is possible that he cultivated it himself!"

The other two were dumbfounded. Kakashi relaxed his arms and shrugged. The action seemed to say "I give up on this subject!"

The three of them were normally very serious in front of the disciples, but without them around, they were very relaxed.

"Regardless of how, from your three disciples…" Hiruzen Sarutobi mused for a while, then said, "There appeared a talent…"

As he spoke, he laughed loudly. "With his cultivation, he absolutely would not have been able to notice that we were watching in secret. But his last few statements, were clearly a message to us. I am going crazy because of this…"

"A heavenly talent was born, a useless person was exposed!" Kakashi said these words with a grotesque countenance.

It was not that he did not care for Obito, he just did not like his methods. Kakashi was very disappointed in Obito. To openly triumph over the enemy was the way to rise above others in Jiang Hu. Plots and manipulations would also work, but the purpose was totally different in nature.

It was still possible that Obito could traverse Jiang Hu by scheming. Today it was clear that Obito could fight, but he chose to get beaten up and not fight back! That made what little hope Kakashi had for him disappear completely.

Heroes can be patient, but in being cowardly, you will never become powerful!

"Useless? You're talking about Obito?" In Hiruzen Sarutobi's eyes there was a distant coldness. It seemed that Obito has left a bad impression on the Master of Beyond the Heavens Sect.

Kakashi lamented.

"The Nine Peaks and One Garden of our Beyond the Heavens Sect, has almost 800 disciples. Every master has a few disciples like that. Junoir Martial Brother, do not let this weigh you down! Only large waves can bring up sand from the deep! Genius or useless, we will all eventually turn into a pile of dry bones!" With a deep look, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke slowly. "Amongst your disciples, Naruto is more than enough to compensate for all regrets. This kid, Naruto, his methods were cruel and decisive, his thinking thorough. His words were bold and rational. Moreover, he had a breakthrough in cultivation. Truly a rare talent, not simple at all…"

Mitokado also nodded in agreement. Today, these two had come to observe. The first purpose was to see what Don Kato's disciples would do. But more importantly, it was to look at the hole that made Dan Kato break his leg. Lastly, it was to see if Beyond the Heavens Sect had a genius with a superior mind and capability, the one they were searching for all along.

After hearing Tsunade's report, the two had suspected that Naruto pretended to be a pig, to eat a tiger. Otherwise, how could there be such coincidences? The only thing was, they found it hard to believe that there was a disciple with such capabilities and experience in the eight generation.

So they came to investigate!

However, today, after watching Naruto deal with Aoba, they immediately knew that there was no need to investigate. It was absolutely caused by him! This person called Naruto, was unquestionably a force to be reckoned with.

The current state of Beyond the Heavens Sect, can be summed up as internal troubles and external aggression. They really needed talents, especially amongst the youth. That was why Hiruzen Sarutobi regarded Naruto with such great importance. This regard was what Naruto had desired! Otherwise, he would not have wasted his energy to do anything!

Kakashi felt proud after hearing Hiruzen Sarutobi praise Naruto, but upon the words 'enough to compensate for all', he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Eldest Martial Brother, you seem high-spirited! Even at this hour you're still in the mood to joke around."

"Why you rather have me crying?" Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi was being facetious, his countenance was very serious. He slowly said, "This Naruto, you need to cultivate him well. In our Beyond the Heavens Sect, the number of people like him are too few."

Kakashi nodded and said with a sigh, "There's no other way! Since we no longer hold the title 'National Sect' of the Great State of Sky and suffered from a severe loss of power, no one in court supports us, government officials treat us with discrimination and other large sects harass us. Any talented disciple, they could be stolen away or killed during competitions. Beyond the Heavens Sect's destiny is very precarious… If we cannot protect the talents of the sect, then I am afraid that in our generation, Beyond the Heavens Sect will cease to exist."

Kakashi's words included some very serious reminders and warnings.

Upon Hiruzen Sarutobi's face there was a pained smile. He and Mitokado looked at each other. After, his wrinkled face slowly relaxed, he smiled and said, "Perhaps, you're afraid we would sell off your disciple?"

With a humph, Kakashi said, "You can't be too careful! Beyond the Heavens Sect is not what it used to be."

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and said, "I know! So you guys are still dissatisfied with the ranking competition amongst the disciples in the sect. Indeed, Beyond the Heavens Sect is currently on the decline. If we have a competition like this, distinguished disciples will be known to the enemies and they will be put in danger. However… it must be done."

Kakashi clasped his hands behind his back, "I think you only want to maintain the archaic traditions of Beyond the Heavens Sect. If you are determined not to change them, then we have nothing else to say."

Kakashi was usually a pacifist, but he had just said these harsh words. Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had been in the sect with him for decades, had never heard words like these before. At this point, Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly realized, that this junior martial brother was very dissatisfied.

With a sigh Hiruzen Sarutobi said severely, "If I really wanted to change things, I only need to say so. But the reason I kept this old rule, is because I wanted to cultivate pure metal from inside the fiery hell."

Hiruzen Sarutobi cooled down, he slowly said, "There are currently 800 disciples in the eighth generation of Beyond the Heavens Sect. Whereas our seventh generation currently only has 70 left. Of the masters from the sixth generation, there barely remain ten people. As for the fifth generation, there is currently only one, the Ninth Martial Great Uncle…"

His face strained as he gritted his teeth, "If my plans succeed, then of the thousand people of Beyond the Heavens Sect, the ones who are capable of surviving will not exceed a hundred. These people will become the foundation for Beyond the Heavens Sect to rise to its glorious peak."

"The useless need not be kept! The mediocre are not needed at all!" Hiruzen Sarutobi took two slow steps and in a dreadful low voice, "Even I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, when sacrifice is needed, will sacrifice!"

"A sect declining is not because of external pressure. It is due to internal disputes and lack of unity. Of this, our Beyond the Heavens Sect is a perfect example." Hiruzen Sarutobi said cryptically, "If a sect wants to rise, it has to go through blood and fire to be reborn!"

Kakashi sighed, "These outstanding disciples, if targeted by the enemies, then it is us who have pushed them into danger. But the same goes with countless things in life. Only in overcoming everything, can they become the pillars of the sect."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said casually, "If we cannot overcome and all get killed, then Beyond the Heavens Sect will no longer exist. What I want is not to prolong that last breath, but to give our all in the final fight."

Mitokado nodded, "Eldest Martial Brother is right. Better to have one glorious moment, then a waning hundred years!"

Kakashi's pupils suddenly narrowed, "Eldest Martial Brother! The decline of the sect is greatly related to the Sky Dynasty. But now you have plans to revive the sect. Perhaps… ?"

"Exactly!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi said pensively, "These past ten years, whenever I wasn't at the sect, then I was at Iron Cloud Nation. The Sky Dynasty has always bullied us. What need do we have to cling to them? Great state what? There are no guarantees that it will always prosper and never fall."

Kakashi was shocked. But upon seeing Mitokado's calm countenance, he immediately understood that Elder Martial Brother Mitokado already knew about this.

"Eldest Martial Brother, this is too dangerous!" Kakashi took a deep breath, his face still looked worried.

"Find fortune in danger!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said blandly. "The first time a sect needs to rise up is difficult but not impossible. Only, after succeeding, if it declines again, rising the second time will be much more difficult. We need to prepare carefully if the sect were to perish."

Kakashi sighed and did not say anymore.

"Three days ago, I dispatched Ninth Junior Martial Brother along with Tsunade, Raido, and Genma to secretly go to Iron Cloud Nation. First, to complete a task. Second, for them to have a chance to go into Jiang Hu and learn a bit."

After hearing this, Mitokado became terrified. "Eldest Martial Brother, how could you let Tsunade go like that?!"

"I thought you would certainly try to stop it if you knew, that's why I didn't tell you." Hiruzen Sarutobi replied casually. "It has been three days. Even if you want to bring her back, you can't."

Mitokado immediately raised his voice, "I have no issue with Ninth Junior Martial Brother bringing Raido and Genma, but why did you let Tsunade go along? This trip is very dangerous. Moreover, all the major sects are like tigers on the prowl for us…"

"It's up to fate!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said coldly. "A few days ago, when you and I were talking about the female disciples of the sect, I had already thought about this. Now, let Tsunade go out there and hone her skills in Jiang Hu!"

"Honing skills in Jiang Hu… our Beyond the Heavens Sect has many such female disciples. Those with beauty like Tsunade are not few, but why do you have to send Tsunade?" Mitokado was livid. "She is your daughter!"

"She is my daughter, then the other female disciples are without parents? Are they not precious to them?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said, burdened. "Should I pamper my daughter forever?"

Mitokado stomped his foot in indignation, his gaze became fiery as he stared as his elder martial brother. "She's not just your daughter, she's our niece! You can't let her take such risks."

"Because she is my daughter, that's why she has to take the responsibility instead of other female disciples." Hiruzen Sarutobi said coldly. "My daughter is not a precious princess. If she keeps hiding and let her martial sisters face danger… then I would rather not have this daughter…"

"Beyond the Heavens Sect is amidst boiling water and burning fire and that fire is slowly growing. If we want to rise again, then we can't avoid paying a big price. No one can be an exception to this. Not you, nor I, not even my daughter!" After he finished speaking, Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately turned around. His whole body stiffened. The two others could not see that his eyes were quivering.

Let's hope… Tsunade can return safely.

I am a father, but I have heartlessly sent my daughter to carry out such dangerous duties. Is it possible that I am truly without feelings?

But I am not only a father, I am the master of a thousand disciples of Beyond the Heavens Sect.

When it is necessary, even if all must be sacrificed, it must be done. However, if only one person needs to be sacrificed, then… then let it be my daughter. Because I am the master of Beyond the Heavens Sect.

Hiruzen Sarutobi clenched his teeth, his jaw trembled and then returned to normal. He still did not turn around. But said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Junior Martial Brother, you must teach Naruto well. That Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique…" He paused and contemplated for a second. Then calmly said, "Let him cultivate well. If there are any secrets to it… he can keep them to himself. Or you both can hold on to them. But you must remember, no third party can know of them.

Kakashi pondered for a second then said, "Shouldn't we teach it to the entire sect? If we teach this technique, the power of Beyond the Heavens Sect could double. That would be my guess."

"Junior Martial Brother, you only see the benefit, but you cannot see the risks. The sect is not yet completely taken care of; there are too many spies. Letting the secrets be exposed means that we would not be the only ones who would be able to cultivate it. But this great skill would become an advantage for our enemies." Hiruzen Sarutobi said casually. "So before everything is finished, we must absolutely never disclose this to the outside. Moreover, you must prepare a good technique for him to use to divert the enemy…"

"Yes." Kakashi understood. Hiruzen Sarutobi saying these words proved that the current situation of Beyond the Heavens Sect has reached critical. It also demonstrated that his previous speculation was a bit too optimistic.

Used to divert, divert who?

Currently no one from the outside knew about it. Only a few of Second Elder Martial Brother's disciples knew, yet he still wanted to divert. Then…

"Also, Naruto's Seven Shades Absolute Saint Palm… how did he cultivate the cold Chakra? This is extremely strange. But still, don't bother him about it." Hiruzen Sarutobi said thoughtfully. "Let's wait until his cultivation reaches a higher level, then we will let him enter Seven Shades Congregation Grounds and increase his cultivation further!"

"This disciple of mine, even though his talent reaches the heavens, but currently his martial strength is still very low. We should not use him just yet. I need to evaluate everything first." Kakashi replied as if still in thought.

"Junior Martial Brother Kakashi, I had previously planned that your disciple Obito would be a suitable choice with his thorough planning. But now it seems Obito cannot be used. However, Naruto…" Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled. "We could use him."

"Use?" Kakashi's eyebrow rose. His gaze became sharp.

"Currently, we do not have any resources inside Iron Cloud Nation. Our sect needs to have someone to secretly set roots." Hiruzen Sarutobi said quietly. "After Naruto's performance today, there is no doubt that he is an appropriate choice. How about we send him as a delegate?"

Kakashi was astonished and did not speak for a long time. Eventually he said, "There is no doubt that this is a good opportunity. But it is also a dangerous road. Countries like Iron Cloud have countless martial experts. Once discovered, we would be flooded with disaster. Naruto is still too young! I hope Eldest Martial Brother will rethink this carefully…"

"How could you become a talent without weathering through a storm?" Hiruzen Sarutobi said. "Always living at the boundary between life and death and struggling in extreme danger, that's how you become a character in the realm of mountains and clouds. Furthermore, I can guarantee you, other disciples might be exposed, but Naruto will certainly not!"

When he finished talking, he glanced at Mitokado. The two bid Kakashi goodbye and left.

As the two silhouettes disappeared from sight, Kakashi stood sadly in front of Purple Bamboo Garden. At a glance, his countenance seemed somber.

Kakashi sighed. He muttered, "Eldest Martial Brother, there are some things… that cannot be achieved with the strength of a sect like ours. Two countries in conflict, our Beyond the Heavens Sect is just so little… what can we do? We were forced to take risks, but placing all hope into a single door is unthinkable… Just one mistake and bones will be crushed, flesh will be melted… Too much planning and things will fall apart… Beyond the Heavens Sect is currently in no condition to withstand such a shakeup…"

Kakashi had a vague feeling as if the whole world was being lifted by a huge vortex and Beyond the Heavens Sect sat in the center of it. It could be destroyed at any moment…

And this vortex was actually fueled time and time again by Beyond the Heavens Sect itself. Even going as far as using its full force to help it…

The Lower Three Heavens stretched for trillions of miles. At its center, there were three countries. Going further out, you would be away from all the fighting.

Among these three countries, the Great State of Sky truly lived up to its name. It had the largest territory. Its national strength was enormous, its people prosperous. It was also taking steps to expand its border on all sides with dreams of uniting all under the heavens. The two other countries were Iron Cloud Nation and Limitless Nation. These two countries, despite having powerful forces, were much weaker compared to the Great State of Sky. They were also the prey much coveted by the Great State of Sky.

Recently, boundary struggles broke out continually at the borders of the three countries. At this point, in the capital of Iron Cloud Nation, Iron Cloud City, there were four fatigued riders at the city gate. One middle-aged person, two young men and a young woman wearing a black silk mask. On their bodies, there were blood stains. They looked at each other and the middle aged person exhaled a long sigh and said, "We are finally here. Tsunade, are you okay?"

He spoke as if a heavy weight had been lifted.

"I am fine." Said Tsunade, her voice exposing her weariness. "We were attacked more often this time. Our whereabouts were kept secret. I don't understand what happened. Something is amiss."

This middle-aged man was the head of the ninth peak of Beyond the Heavens Sect, Stepping on the Clouds Peak, Sakumo.

Sakumo was a bold and true character comparable to Hiruzen Sarutobi. While he took careful measure in his work, he was not afraid to take risks. He was so meticulous in dealing with matters that not a drop of water could escape him.

"Regardless, we're finally here." Tsunade smiled.

The four glanced at each other, sharing the same unspoken thoughts… There must be a spy within the sect! Moreover, the position of the spy was probably not low!

"Let's enter the city." Sakumo carried a sad countenance, but it became immediately uplifted as he stretched out his arms.

The group entered into the city, turning left and right, here and there for quite a while before reaching a vast official looking building with a silver plaque on top. Three golden words were carved on it Thousand Autumns Manor. Thousand Autumns Manor was the home of the prince of Iron Cloud Nation. The royal prince of Iron Cloud Nation lives here!

After being announced, the four advanced into Thousand Autumns Manor. Under the guidance of a servant, they arrived at the main hall. In the middle of the hall was a luxurious chair. A youth carrying an aura like precious jade, wearing a soft, yellow outfit, was reading intently. His long brows reached his hair line. His face was like a pearl and upon his head of black hair, a crown sat prominently.

At a glance, this youth looked a little thin, weak and perhaps even timid to others… But if you looked closely at the effortless way he was holding his book, then you would notice that there was an extreme stability to the pose.

His face was gentle and calm, even effeminate to the point that it made people want to protect him… Once you approached this youth, there was a sense as if you were standing in front of the moon, so lofty and high beyond reach!

It seemed as if power over all lives under the heavens were in those steady thin hands!

After hearing the introduction by the servant, this youth put his book down and slowly lifted his head to look at the four people. His face revealed a smile, like a spring breeze that dispels the winter snow, and spoke peacefully, "You have had to travel a long journey to be my guests. Please sit down."

Sakumo immediately said, "Thank you, your highness." Then he and the three disciples sat down on the side.

This youth was the prince of Iron Cloud Nation – Haku.

In this moment, his eyes flashed over the four people. He suddenly smiled, his brows rose, and he said casually, "It seems you did not have a comfortable trip."

"You are correct. It was full of slaughter and danger." Sakumo answered calmly. They were people of the sect and did not belong to the court; when speaking to the prince, they did not need to bow or conduct themselves ceremoniously. However, Raido and Genma were somewhat tense.

"Haha… it seems that someone had secretly taken action." Haku smiled blandly. His eyes, like his laughter that slowly trailed off, slowly narrowed. He put his palms together and said slowly, "Please rest assured that nothing like that will happen in Iron Cloud Nation, not even once!"

Even though his physique was thin and frail and he was not very tall, when he put his palms together, he stood up and his cold gaze swept the horizon with the air of one who could command all under heaven! As if, just by standing up, he could bring all things to his feet.

Sakumo was shocked, he finally understood his eldest martial brother's decision. Just looking at the prince's aura when he stood up was enough to confirm that he was going to become a legendary hero!

"You should stay here for now. Early tomorrow morning, I will inform my father personally. If he agrees, then we will proceed immediately." Haku smiled.

Earlier his appearance was like a sword emitting an aura of arrogance. But after the smile, his whole demeanor suddenly became gentle and intimate, making others feel as if they were being bathed in the spring breeze.

He did not need to do any tricks to sway people's hearts. His speaking naturally was enough to make all those who come into contact with him feel regret that they were not in his service.

"Yes!" Sakumo shivered. He could not help but re-evaluate this prince at a higher level. Despite his age, he was not simple. Since his birth until now, Sakumo had met many different kinds of people. However, he has yet to meet anyone who could compare to this prince.

It was clear why people praised him as the number one heaven-sent talent of the Lower Three Heavens of all time.

Before meeting Haku, Sakumo did not pay attention to those praises. In life, how can there be such a thing as a heaven-sent talent. It's only good upbringing and receiving better training than normal people. If you learn to rule from infancy, over time, your aura will certainly be above normal. As for number one heaven-sent talent… there is no lack of heaven-sent talents in this world.

However, at this time, he believed. From the elegance that seemed seeped to the bones to the majesty that seemed to radiate from the soul. Every action, from the lifting of the hands to the stretching of the legs, was so natural and exuded a regalness that it made a Jiang Hu person like Sakumo tremble in his soul.


	9. Chapter 9

Beyond the Heavens Sect's Purple Bamboo Garden.

Next morning, Rock Lee laying on the ground with arms and legs outstretched, panted and exclaimed, "Naruto… I… I… admit you are much more handsome than me. But these past few days, you have been really cruel. You are working me to death…"

These days Naruto just wanted to cultivate, so he forced Rock Lee to go along with him, making him practically die from exhaustion. Therefore, only after a few days, every time Rock Lee saw Naruto, he would shake uncontrollably from fear.

With every session, Naruto calculated very carefully. He knew exactly how long it would take before Rock Lee's body reached its extreme limits. So after each time, even though Rock Lee could barely stand up, his body was not in any danger.

Every time Rock Lee saw Naruto, it was as if he had run into a demon. Previously, he was in the habit of bragging and self-admiration, but currently he didn't even have time for self-admiration.

Naruto took a deep breath, pulled in his energy and stood up. In the past twenty days, he did not let his cultivation lapse for even a little. His cultivation has already reached ninth grade martial pupil, just a little more and he would enter the rank of martial warrior.

Feeling all the transformations inside him, Naruto smiled. Only when he advanced to the rank of martial warrior could he begin to officially train his body.

If his strength had not reached martial warrior level and he forcefully practiced excessive physical exercises, then his muscles and internal organs would be severely compromised. There was a saying in the Lower Three Heavens,

"Literature lasts for eternity,

Martial artist retires at death."

This implied that those who practice martial arts usually do not live past 60 years. However, this lesson seemed to be not right. Because while this saying basically valued literature over martial arts, the number 60 was just a haphazard guess. The truth was, every year, there were countless martial pupils who wanted to improve their skills by cultivating carelessly. But this ends up consuming a lot of their strength and results in extreme fatigue that was unbearable to the body of a martial pupil. Even if they advance in skill, that fatigue was permanent in their body. When they are about 50 years old, this fatigue will manifest itself intensively and it would be too late to do anything because the body would be ravaged beyond repair.

Therefore, martial artists always wasted the most time in the training the body, setting a solid foundation at this martial pupil level.

Just a little bit more and he would become a martial warrior, then he will have the requirements to cultivate Nine Tribulations Sword – Nine Tribulations Transcending the Nine Heavens Technique! And not just Nine Tribulations Sword, but there were techniques in the Middle Three Heavens that clearly stated those below the rank of martial warrior cannot cultivate.

Naruto's dantian stirred. He had struggled from dawn to noon to cultivate a little Chakra for the Nine Tribulations Sword spirit to absorb. A moment later, it released that Chakra. Even though the amount of Chakra was much smaller, it was extremely pure.

Although, this Chakra could not compare to natural Chakra, but in terms of purity it was many times better. When compared to the normally absorbed Chakra, the difference was heaven and earth. It was much better.

These days, after each cultivation, as his martial power increased, Naruto felt the sword spirit stir quietly inside of him. He thought nothing of it, and gradually ignored it all together.

What worried him most during this time was the pure purple jade essence around his neck, which was unreactive. When it came to this pure purple jade essence, Naruto could not find a solution. The first time he had wanted to use this pure purple jade essence to restore his energy, before he could, the Nine Tribulations sword spirit suddenly became disturbed from inside his dantian and cut off contact completely. Naruto tried again a few times but to no avail. It was obvious that the Nine Tribulations sword spirit wanted him to rely on his own strength to cultivate, not any external sources.

Even when he used the jade to recover energy to fight against a rival, it didn't matter to Nine Tribulations sword spirit, it still wouldn't let him. Before, he was able to use the jade essence once, in coping with Aoba. At that time, the Nine Tribulations Sword Spirit had no reaction, but since that battle, it would not let him do it again.

Encountering an impartial monitor like this, Naruto had no choice but to oblige. Eventually he extinguished any intention of using the pure purple jade essence during cultivation.

Tilting his head, Naruto looked at struggling form of Rock Lee. He almost laughed. He said, "Okay, you can rest a little."

Hearing these words, Rock Lee felt as if he was given a privilege. He was so grateful he almost shed tears. He got up with some difficulty. His arms and legs looked as if there were trying to crawl. When he finally got up, he let out a sigh of relief.

In the yard, Naruto continued to practice the simple action of drawing and sheathing the sword. Even though this was extremely boring, he was attentive to every little action and tried hard until every action was skillfully trained.

At this time, from the east, the sun had slowly shown itself, making Naruto's whole body heat up. Drops of sweat constantly fell down, soaking the ground.

When Rock Lee finally recovered, he turned to look at Naruto practicing. When Rock Lee saw Naruto's movements, he slowly noticed a strange point. Even though Naruto repeated the same actions hundreds of times, each time Naruto's movement had a tiny difference!

It seemed that Naruto was continuously adjusting. From the beginning, where his actions seemed a little unnatural, to later when they became more fluid and finally they seemed to have become a flash of light.

Drawing the sword, sheathing the sword, he continued like that until the sound become softer and softer each time. Although it was not obvious, the sounds truly became slightly softer each time.

"Naruto, your arm is swollen!" Rock Lee was looking at Naruto practicing and admiring him, when he suddenly discovered that between Naruto's elbow and shoulder, there was an abnormal swollen mass. He shouted out in panic.

However, Naruto's countenance remained unconcerned as if nothing has happened and his movement did not stop. He said indifferently, "It's nothing. It will go away with more training. If I stop now and wait for it go down, then it would take a long time. The best way is to practice until you get used to it. Then this swelling will go away on its own. That's how you can advance!"

"Oh…" Naruto's words made Rock Lee feel ashamed. He could only stand there stupefied. Then seeing that he had restored some energy, he immediately resumed practice.

In a corner of Purple Bamboo Forest, Kakashi was quietly watching the two practice. The edge of his mouth revealed a little smile.

Meanwhile, a constant moan could be heard from inside. It was the sound of Obito tormented by pain. He had been bed-ridden for the past 20 days. Aoba's people were cruel; that day they had broken Obito's ribs and femur.

At least for the next three months, Obito would not be able to practice. And in the next half year, he would not be able to use his martial arts. But ranking competition for disciples of Beyond the Heavens Sect will probably be done by then. This injury will undoubtedly destroy all of Obito's plans at Beyond the Heavens Sect!

The physical pain did not compare to the mental anguish that Obito felt. But the bizarre thing is, he did not hate the people who hurt him, he hated Naruto. In Obito's mind, if it were not for Naruto, he would have had a bright future!

It can't be left unsaid that what Obito felt was correct. All the misery he currently suffered was single-handedly caused by Naruto. During this period, Naruto 'meticulously' took care of Obito, checking on him once a day.

"Eldest Martial Brother, how are you? Today, I have advanced beyond fifth grade martial pupil."

"Eldest Martial Brother! Today, I had broken past the sixth grade."

"I have achieved seventh grade…!"

Every 'good news' made Obito felt as if he was being pierced by a thousand arrows. He became very upset making his recovery very slow; it even worsened.

However, the thing that Obito should not have done was let his hatred for Naruto spread to Kakashi and Rock Lee as well. This hatred was seeped to the bones! How could Naruto have advanced so fast? It certainly must have been a favor from Kakashi. The master must have had some sort of elixir to speed up cultivation! I have been with him for so many years and he didn't give it to me. Instead he gave it to Naruto!

That must be it! The hatred in Obito's heart gradually grew more severe, until it became immeasurable.

In the days that followed, even though his attitude was indifferent, Kakashi took a lot of care with Obito. He did not hesitate to waste his energy to heal Obito's meridians as well as help reduce his pain. Furthermore, he spared no effort in searching for medicine to help Obito recover…

However, Obito has allowed his hatred to cloud his judgment. He went as far as grinding his teeth with the master who had given him so much.

So… Obito wanted revenge!

Outside of Obito's room, there was a small pond, approximately the size of half a room and deeper than a meter. Water flowing from the peak go through here before continuing downward making a winding stream through the mountains.

The water in this pond was so clear, you could see the bottom. Everyday Naruto and the others drank water from here.

Currently Obito was trying to get up from his bed. He then stealthily took out a paper parcel from under his bed. This was 'Before Dawn Soul Scattering Powder'. This was mixture of five highly toxic poisons, without color or taste. But mostly important, without antidote! When mixed with food, they become a wonderful tasting additive that stimulates your appetite.

Obito's lips were trembling and even his fingers were shaking. However, he remained steadfast in his resolve. He reached for the candle next to his bed. With his right hand he broke off part of the candle…

His face seemed alternate between red and white, as if his heart was under a lot of conflict. However, his hands did not stop. He emptied the entire parcel of poison into a newly formed wax pellet.

Afterwards, he hid everything under the blanket.

If I am like this, you people shall not live well either! Anyway, I am so heavily wounded, even if everyone here was dead, no one would suspect me!

If Purple Bamboo Garden has only me left, then the Sect Master would surely show some preferential treatment! That way I would still have a chance. Even if I can no longer lean on Kakashi, I can still succeed.

Die! You can all die!

At this point, Obito had apparently entered a state of frenzy.

The sun slowly rose to its peak, Obito listened, then clenched his teeth… A small container flew straight outside from his hand.

Plop! It dropped into the pond.

Obito breathed a sigh of relief. He slumped in his bed. There was a look of anxiousness as well as shame in his eyes. But immediately after, he became crazed. He gritted his teeth, his hands gripped tightly onto the blanket, tearing a hole in it.

A moment later, he finally relaxed. A smile appeared on his mouth revealing pleasure and satisfaction.

The water in the pond flowed constantly, if the poison was released directly, then its effect would fade. However, if it were placed in a wax container, it would release more slowing.

Based on the daily meal time, this moment was perfect. He calculated the time carefully. After about a second, there was a creaky sound. It was the sound of the two wooden buckets that Rock Lee used to carry water. Obito immediately went back under his blanket, closed his eyes and moaned…

After a while, the clacking sound of pots and pans were heard, followed by Rock Lee's monstrous singing. Finally, the fragrant smell food arose.

Obito smiled evilly.

The three, Kakashi, Rock Lee, and Naruto, sat around the dining table looking at aromatic food. Rock Lee's puppy dog eyes was currently looking at his master, but his stomach was growling. He was waiting for Kakashi to open his mouth, then he would attack the food.

However, when Kakashi looked at the food, he frowned. The food today did not seem like normal. The smell was much stronger, almost… excessively fragrant.

There was something strange!

He felt that something was not right.

Kakashi was in deep thought; he picked up his chopsticks, just to put them down again. He tilted his head and looked over at Naruto. It seemed that Naruto was also staring at the food on the table and thinking about something.

Kakashi was surprised. The reason he found the food strange was due to his decades of experience in Jiang Hu in addition to his careful personality and heightened senses borne from countless dangerous encounters. If it were normal people, then they would not have noticed any anomalies in the fragrant smell of the food. It's likely that they would want to eat it even more.

But how could Naruto realize this? He was only 16 years old. Moreover, he had never been outside of the sect. How could he have such keen perception?

"Rock Lee, did you make this food?" Naruto calmly smiled and asked.

"That's right, let's eat everyone. It smells so good… I can't wait any longer." Rock Lee begged pitifully.

Naruto seemed to have figured out something as he looked at the rippling water in the small pond outside. With a flick of his wrist, there appeared a small black jade pin in his hand. He poked it into a soup dish on the table.

It immediately changed to a frightful purple blue color. Rock Lee's color changed immediately, he almost screamed out loud. As if he already knew Rock Lee's reaction without even looking at him, Naruto covered Rock Lee's mouth with his hand. His gaze did not leave from the food on the table. He said in a serious voice, "Rock Lee is not capable of poisoning us. The problem is in the pond water!"

Kakashi was shocked, because he also just thought of the same thing. Rock Lee was the cook but he was not the poisoner. After all, he took care of Rock Lee since he was little. Rock Lee never had any exposure with poisons. How could he have done it?

Kakashi took a deep breath. Suddenly, there was anger in his face as he turned his head and looked straight at Obito's room.

"Let me go!" Naruto said quietly.

"You? What do you plan to do?" Kakashi's countenance was unsightly.

"Basically, I plan to satisfy him," Naruto said casually.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed. With a slight laugh, he said, "In that case, you should go then."

After a pause, he continued, "Don't say too much. Let him have a chance to explain himself. It's possible he doesn't know the extent of his actions."

His voice was very soft, but within it, there was bitterness and fatigue. No matter what, Obito was still his disciple for the past 7-8 years! Naruto wanted to help him handle this matter because he understood Kakashi's dilemma.

Kakashi was currently furious. But inversely, Naruto completely understood him and felt very happy.

Naruto nodded. He carried the tray of food that was previously prepared for Obito. When he arrived in front of Obito's room, he smiled slightly and said, "Eldest Martial Brother, it's time to eat!"

"Doesn't Rock Lee always bring my food? Why is it you today?" Obito asked, looking suspiciously at Naruto.

"That Rock Lee is so tired today, he couldn't even get up." Naruto smiled warmly and said. "We are all brothers; Rock Lee or me, what difference does it make? You have helped us so much with such deep love and care. I thought I should at least do something to repay you."

Obito answered in agreement, "Hm. My appetite is not so good today, I don't want to eat. Just leave it right there."

What a joke! He clearly knew there was poison in the food. It was his own doing! How would he dare eat it?

Outside, Kakashi was concentrating all his energy to listen to everything being said in that room. When he heard Obito saying that, he could not help but snort. He still could not imagine that his disciple of 7-8 years now wanted to kill him. Even though everything was already clear, he still told Naruto to give Obito a chance to explain himself.

Still holding onto a ray of hope.

However, after hearing Obito, he has lost all hope.

With a big grin, Naruto asked, "How could you not eat? The body is iron and rice is steel. Plus you are wounded, you need nutrition to recover quickly. Eldest Martial Brother, you must eat at least a little bit! If you finish the whole thing, I am sure you would feel better."

Obito frowned and said in a disgusted tone, "I already told you, I won't eat! Just get out!"

"Why not… is there poison in there?" Naruto said sincerely, "Eldest Martial Brother, we have been brothers for many years. Is it possible that you believe that I would poison you? Hurry up and eat!"

Obito's face slowly changed colors. Naruto's words were aimed directly at him. He immediately lifted his head and looked at Naruto. He asked in a serious voice, "What are you trying to say?"

"I am trying to tell you to eat. After that, you will understand!" Naruto looked at him, his gaze slowly turned cold. He continued slowly, "I wanted to see if the poison in the food can kill or not. Honestly, I am very curious about that!"

Obito's heart suddenly sank. "You… What kind of joke is this?"

Naruto smirked. "What? You're not having any fun with this game? Shall we move onto a new game then?"

Naruto immediately took a bowl of rice to the bed and sat down on Obito's legs. A crack was heard as the healing bones broke once again. Obito screamed in pain as his body contorted like a shrimp. Sweat drops the size of soy beans streamed down his face. The moment his mouth opened, Naruto stuffed it with a bit of the blanket. Naruto's action was agile and decisive. Someone with many decades of experience could not have carried out an action so fluidly.

Obito's anguished screams immediately turned into smothered chokes, with no way of coming out. He could do nothing except stare at Naruto fearfully and shake his head repeatedly. At this time, sweat was pouring like rain from all over Obito's body. With one hand holding the rice bowl, Naruto clucked Obito's neck with the other. He looked coldly at Obito and said, "Obito, I didn't want to kill you so early, I had hardly vented enough. However, today, your actions have pushed me beyond my limits."

With his mouth muzzled, no matter how Obito tried to yell and scream, he could only emit a few throaty 'oh' 'oh'. His eyes were filled with resentment and fear. He tried to struggle in a last ditch effort, rendering himself even more pained due to his wounds.

"Obito, the way you treated Rock Lee and I these past years. Let's not even mention that now. Eight years ago, your family was robbed by bandits, their lives were hanging by a thread, and your sister was almost assaulted by them. It was master who appeared in time to save your family. Afterward, it was your family who begged master to take you as a disciple. Master thought you seemed like a decent person and took you in and taught you martial arts. But now, not only do you not appreciate his kindness, you dare to use poison to try to kill him. Are you even human?"

Naruto reprimanded, "You are indeed 'wolf's heart and dog's lung'!"

There was shame in Obito's eyes, but it disappeared immediately. He violently looked at Naruto as if wanting to eat him alive. Of course, there was no repentance at all!

Suddenly Obito let out a dry cough. A clump of fresh blood flew out from his mouth. The force was so strong that the bit of blanket stuffed in his mouth came out as well.

The fresh blood splashed on the blanket forming patchy streaks. Obito did not make a sound from the suffering, instead his eyes glared at Naruto. "Naruto! Don't pretend in front of me. It's useless! Those little tricks, I stopped using them a long time ago."

Obito had another dry cough and despite the fact that blood was continually running from the edge of his mouth, he said resentfully, "I am an ingrate, so what? I wanted to kill you all, so what? I have a burning ambition, wolf's heart and dog's lungs, so what?"

Obito panted, his chest heaving. "If it wasn't for you, then I wouldn't have been beaten to the brink of death. If my legs were not broken, then I would not lose a chance to participate in the sect's ranking competition. If I did not lose that chance then my future would not be so dark. Everything is because of you! Naruto… you and I will not share the same sky! As for master… hahaha…"

Obito wiped the dried blood from the corner of his mouth and let out a cold laugh. "You think Kakashi is really that kind? Why did he save my family that year? Was it not because he was mesmerized by my sister's beauty? If I did not discover in time and immediately married her off to somebody else, then she would have fallen into his hands. Normally he acts as if he is honorable, but on the inside, he is a scoundrel. Sometimes, at night, he keeps called, Rin-Rin… Rin-Rin… He thought I couldn't hear? Rin-Rin is my sister's nickname! He is truly a scoundrel."

It seemed that Obito knew that after what he did today, he could hardly escape death. So he brought out all the resentment that was in his heart.

In the dining room next door, after hearing these words, Kakashi's whole body trembled. His face gradually grew pale.

Crack!

The teacup in Kakashi's hand shattered. The little broken pieces dropped down from the cracks of his fingers. Suddenly, Kakashi's hair stood on end. He let out a single breath, which flew towards the door and surprisingly created a big hole.

"Hahaha, I got it right then? This old man… what greatness, what generosity… hahaha…" Obito laughed insanely.

Naruto roared loudly and rushed forward to attack Obito.

Pow!

Before Naruto's palm was even lowered, the wall separating the two rooms broke, scattering dust everywhere. Kakashi rushed into the room and grabbed Naruto's wrist. Knowing that Naruto would not be able to control himself, he took this direct action.

"Old man, you wanted to say something else?" When Obito saw Kakashi, his body cringed instinctively. Only his talk sounded aggressive.

Kakashi slowly let go of Naruto. He took a few breaths and quickly recovered. His eyes looked at Obito without sympathy. He said slowly, "Obito, from this moment, you are expelled from the sect!"

Obito laughed loudly. "Oh, Kakashi, Kakashi. You think at this point I still need to be your disciple? I spit on it!"

Kakashi's gaze became colder, but he continued to speak calmly, "Obito, your sister was quite pretty, but not to the point where I, Kakashi, would remember forever."

With a laugh, Obito mocked, "Then why did you call my sister's name in your sleep? Are you crazy?"

Kakashi's eyes flashed with anger, but that anger was immediately replaced with pity. "That was not your sister name. I am 48 this year. Eight years ago I was 40, your sister was only 15. Even though she was not bad looking, I, Kakashi, would never stoop that low."

Kakashi laughed dryly, "I did call Rin-Rin… not your Rin-Rin; Rin-Rin… Rin Nohara, that was my love, my wife. We have been separated for 20 years now. There's never been a moment when I don't think about her…"

Kakashi said coldly, "Actually, the reason I saved your family that year, was because her name and your sister's name sounded the same. Otherwise, Jiang Hu was full of the strong bullying the weak. I, Kakashi, was never interested in interfering in the affairs of others!"

Kakashi's words made Obito choke; he was speechless. In this moment, everything became clear. No wonder the master's voice became strange every time he mentioned that name. So… so… it was not his sister's name…

Suddenly, Obito felt very sorry. He went through many years untrusting and embracing hatred, but as it turned out, it was all a misunderstanding…

Kakashi took a deep breath and said casually, "The reason I am telling you everything is not for your sake! Let's just call this my farewell to you."

Kakashi's words seemed contradictory, but Naruto, who stood on the side, understood. This was Kakashi explaining to Naruto. He did not want his disciple to misunderstand him. Nor did want others to misunderstand the precious love in his heart, because of this, he needed someone to be a witness.

So many years have gone by, but nothing could sway the love that was in Kakashi's heart.

This time, Obito had awakened the Kakashi's deepest suffering!

Obito's countenance shifted, he cried out, "Master…. I was wrong… I was confused… I deserve to die… please, please forgive me."

"It's too late! In this life, there are some mistakes you should not make. And if you make them, then you will have to pay with your life." Kakashi shook his head coldly and slowly stretched out a hand. His gaze was calm and resolute. He ignored Obito's pleas for forgiveness; he was determined to eliminate any future problems.

Naruto's hands and eyes were agile, quicker than Kakashi. He palmed Obito in the chest. Only a pow was heard and the bones around Obito's chest shattered into pieces. His body jerked up, his eyes widened, and blood foamed from his ears, nose and mouth. In a few breaths, his body went limp and he stopped breathing.

"Ah?" Kakashi looked at Naruto, he immediately understood Naruto's intention and let out a sigh.

"Master, it was better for me to do it. He has bullied us for years, this was a chance for me to vent my anger." Naruto said calmly.

Kakashi took a looked thoughtfully at him and patted him on the shoulder. He wanted to say something to Naruto, but in the end, he just quietly walked out.

With Kakashi's personality, if he had to kill a disciple he raised for eight years by his own hand then he would be plagued by it forever. However, if it was by Naruto's hand, then, even though Obito still died in front of him, it was still not by his own hand and he would be less burdened.

Naruto's intentions, how could Kakashi not know?

Naruto sighed. He looked at Obito, unable to hold back his resentments, he said: "Dying so easily… that was too comfortable for you."

These words were not exaggerated. If Kakashi had not suddenly come in, then Naruto's tactics in combination with the hatred accumulated from two lifetimes would certainly have made Obito no longer want to live.

Looking back at Obito corpse with his eyes rolled back, after a long silence, conflicting emotions emerged in Naruto. He finally came to a realization: he, himself, have transformed the lives of others!

In the previous life, Obito would have lived for another four years. However, after no more than a month in this second life, he has died by Naruto's hands…

After a moment of silence, Naruto covered the body with a blanket and leisurely carried it outside. When everything was taken care of, Naruto discovered something surprising. During the course of this event, Rock Lee had prepared another the meal and had set it out on the table, still steaming hot.

Even more surprising was the fact that Kakashi, instead of disappearing, was quietly sitting at the table as if waiting for Naruto. Everything was just like any other day.

As Naruto entered, Rock Lee asked shakily, "That… eldest martial brother… ah, Obito…?"

"He died. I killed him."

Naruto said calmly then sat down. With a nod, Rock Lee kept his head down and suddenly losing his appetite. When he heard the things Obito said earlier, he thought death was not enough for him. However, he now still felt an inexplicable feeling of loss. Regardless of everything, they still lived together for many years. Plus, until today, Rock Lee did not discover Obito's true nature.

With a serious face, Kakashi picked up his chopsticks and said, "Let's eat." His gaze was calm as if the earlier event never occurred and Purple Bamboo Garden never had a disciple named Obito.

The three were quiet. The air around them was heavy with tension nearing breaking point.

Naruto did not add anything else. Kakashi did not need any consolation. Even though he did feel some regrets, it was not something he cannot get over in a couple of days. The only thing was, before dying, Obito spoke those words that renewed the pain deep inside Kakashi's heart. This pain will probably continue to torment him for a long time…

When Kakashi was done eating, he saw that Naruto was eating voraciously. He could not help but grinned and said, "Naruto, was this really the first time you killed someone? As I recalled, you have not even killed a chicken before."

Stupefied, Naruto answered, "Yes…!" At this moment, he realized that he was too calm after killing someone. In the eyes of an experience person like Kakashi this extraordinary reaction was questionable.

Whether it was a martial artist or an evil person with countless crimes, after killing for the first time, there should be a reaction of some sort. Yet Naruto has just killed a person for the first time, his eldest martial brother of eight years, and he could still eat well as if nothing has happened…!

How could this not unnerve others?

"Your mind is extremely fortified. It's as if you are a natural born killer."

Kakashi smiled as he talked. Suddenly he remember Hiruzen Sarutobi's proposal. He realized sending Naruto on that dangerous mission might not be so unreasonable.

This calmness was to the point of extreme. If he were sent on the mission, he would absolutely not reveal any flaws. Only, Kakashi was still worried about his disciple so his thoughts were conflicted.

This would be an opportunity or it could be a perilous path!

"Natural born killer…" Naruto laughed inwardly. He thought to himself: Even though it was my first time in this life, in my previous life, I have sent thousands of souls to rest. Can it really still be considered a cold-blooded reaction? My heart was dead a long time ago. Killing a man, strangely enough, was no different than killing a chicken…

"Even with death, Obito did not pay for all his sins. Disciple killed him was simply a matter doling out justice. There was no pressure or reservation; plus it was my pleasure." Naruto answered.

Kakashi looked at him and suddenly smiled. He simply said, "Very good!"


	10. Chapter 10

In the blink of an eye, three days have passed!

That night, Naruto was sitting alone in the depths of Purple Bamboo Forest, feeling the energy of heaven and earth. He had a feeling that today would be the day he would have a breakthrough in his cultivation and enter into the level of Martial Warrior!

Since the day he killed Obito, a violent force buried deep inside him had awakened. Naruto also felt a frightening aura fluctuate wildly in his dantian. As if a bloodthirsty emotion had awaken and was struggling and howling from inside him.

This was the cruelty ingrained in his soul from practicing sword arts without love in his previous life. Naruto spent a lot of effort suppressing this emotion in order to continue to cultivate peacefully. Just then, an energy inside him suddenly surged up as if trying to breakout from some invisible shackles!

Naruto eyes narrowed as he manipulated the vortex of energy with special attention to his dantian. At this point the little Nine Tribulation Sword Spirit seemed to become the center of everything. The vortex from his dantian swirled around the Nine Tribulation Sword Spirit nine times and, like lightning, shot straight into the meridians. Like a massive force of nature, it flooded throughout his meridian channels!

Gradually growing powerful, the energy swirled around his meridians nine times and became a powerful wave. Naruto's concentration was disturbed as this wave pushed past the level of Martial Pupil and aggressively advanced into the level of Martial Warrior!

Boom!

Naruto could only hear an exploding sound from inside him like thunder. His whole body shook violently, and suddenly fresh crimson blood shot out from his mouth and nostrils.

At this time the vast energy had risen up and broke through his barriers, flooding into new meridian channels. Naruto was meticulous in controlling his energy flow, because after a breakthrough, using new meridian channels can lead to injuries if not carefully done. These injuries would be the invisible force that limited a martial art practitioner's achievements in the future.

He was being careful as if crossing a bridge made of a single log. After leading his energy around the meridian channels one time, Naruto was soaked in sweat. However, he did not falter and continued applying all his efforts.

One round, two rounds… nine rounds were completed!

After the cycle was done, Naruto let out a powerful breath. He felt as if he has less than half his strength. Then, a relaxed feeling came over him like he was immersed in warm water.

Naruto spit out a dark mass. Even in the night, it flashed a bright black light and then dissipated into thin air.

In a hidden place in Purple Bamboo Forest, Kakashi stood erect. His whole body was covered in the night's dew, he was attentively watching over his disciple.

At the moment Naruto succeeded, Kakashi also let out a sigh of relief. Naruto has just gained another step in his cultivation path.

"Meridian purification!?"

Kakashi was flabbergasted when he saw Naruto spit out that demonic dark mass. Unable to control himself, his eyes opened wide and his mouth suddenly uttered those words. This… this was the impurities from his meridians!

Naruto had only just broken through Martial Warrior level, how could he have expelled the impurities out of his meridians?

What sort of peculiar disciple have I taken in?

Kakashi was completely startled. Anyone capable of doing what Naruto did was extraordinary. Kakashi was one who wouldn't blink even if the sky fell down, so there was no precedence for such an occurrence at Beyond the Heaven Sect!

If Hiruzen Sarutobi's people knew about this, their eyeballs would have popped out of their sockets and fled!

Normally, a little impurity from the body was pushed out during the breakthrough into Martial Warrior. This process was called Body Transformation. In principle, impurities from the periphery of the body are pushed out slowly with the gradual cultivation through the nine grades of Martial Warrior.

The one after that was at the level of Martial Master. The Martial Master breakthrough was also the same with step by step process of getting rid of impurities from the body and getting the body ready for the cultivation path ahead. The impurities purged by a Martial Master were from the five organs in the body. This process was called Internal Transformation.

After that, there was the Martial Great Master breakthrough. The impurities expelled during this stage were from the meridians. This was when a person truly began to walk on the path of cultivation. This process of getting rid of impurities was called Meridian Purification.

Beyond that was the realm of Revered Martial Artist. When cultivating, the body could expel impurities from the deepest places inside the body – the impurities from within marrow of the body that were detrimental to cultivation. This was called Marrow Purification. Marrow Purification was the last step in the process of training the body!

Currently, Naruto had only broken through Martial Warrior level and he could already perform Meridian Purification! It would be strange if Kakashi was not terrified!

It should be noted that Kakashi was currently only capable of Meridian Purification as well!

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally broken through Martial Warrior level! In other words, now he just needed to get the first piece of the Nine Tribulation Sword, then he could immediately cultivate Nine Tribulations Transcending the Nine Heavens Technique!

Kakashi was surprised, but Naruto was not. Every early morning, when he was steadfastly practicing the same movements, he never ceased to eliminate impurities from his body. The impurities external as well as internal of his body was virtually eliminated in the morning mist.

It was the mystery of Nine Tribulation Sword, targeting the mysterious points of the human body. Even simple actions can cause the entire body, from inside to out, to move. Moreover, it simultaneously multiplied the pressure that pushed impurities out by several folds.

Just one simple movement that seemed so simple at first glance have become an invaluable tool; it can be even considered priceless in the martial art world!

Naruto stood up, his feet planted firm on the ground, his upper bent slowly backward. His waist seemed to have broken as his body bent backwards and his head went between his two legs. After that his arms gripped tightly around his legs; his body forming a circle. With a bit of force, his whole body suddenly shot up like a ball, spinning in midair.

Kakashi observed that although Naruto was constantly moving in midair, every part of his body was capable of producing a different action. From his head to the tip of his toes simultaneously produce rattling sounds from the joints again and again.

Kakashi was startled. Even though he did not know the efficacy of this action, he knew that it was extremely difficult and if he were to try it, he would not be able to do it at first try!

Naruto spun in midair seven or eight times before descending and rolling on the ground. After that, he suddenly stretched like a chick just hatched from an egg. The noise made by his joints became overwhelming. Then he slowly stood up; his whole body was wobbly like a toddler just learning how to walk for the first time. His two erect legs were trembling as if holding up a heavy load. With each shake a clear sound echoed throughout the misty forest. In the end, Naruto whole body was erect and steadied. The sounds his joints made became lessened. His two arms followed a bizarre motion and started to swing. Once again, the sound of joints rattling started to emit from his arms!

"Clack… clack… clack…"

Kakashi was stupefied. He vaguely understood the implications of these actions. However, such understanding only made him more terrified!

The movements, unbelievably, were part of the Life Convergence Technique!

Each movement seemed extremely bizarre and inexplicable, but full of hints of the major sects!

From nothing to existence, to egg, to maturity, to hatching, to flying up…

This was the Life Convergence of Birds!

After finishing these four movements, Naruto stopped.

This was also one of the underlying set of movements of Nine Tribulation Sword. It can only be cultivated after entering the level of Martial Warrior. If one were to cultivate it at the Martial Pupil level then it is likely that the body and bones would be crushed to pieces.

The suffering that one undergoes while practicing these movements were similar to having their bones pulled out. Moreover, this pain that seeps right to the bone was constant. Yet, from the beginning to end, Naruto did not even make a sound.

By speaking, he would release out a lot of vital energy. Then the effectiveness of these movements would then be reduced by a great amount.

Soon after his rebirth, Naruto was determined to do each task the best way possible!

When everything was done, Naruto stretched and took a deep breath. His whole body started sweating intensely. It could be seen that the ground he stood on was quickly becoming soaked.

"Master, these four movements are known as 'Way of Infinite Universe.' There are many mysteries within it. This disciple can only do it poorly like this. Please let me know where the errors were!"

Naruto said casually without needing to turn around. He knew that his master would certainly come to watch over his breakthrough. Even though he could not sense him, he was sure that Kakashi would be around. He had learned this in the next four years of his previous life. Each time one of the three disciples had a breakthrough, Kakashi acted aloof on the exterior but was truly more worried than the disciples themselves! Each time, the master was completely dedicated to silently watching and guarding over the three.

For them, when it was time for a breakthrough, all they had to do was try hard. They did not know that the master was secretly distressed for many days.

Kakashi would never say anything; he only took action. In the previous life, by the time Naruto realized his master's pain and efforts, it was too late.

In this life, how could he ignore it as if he did not know?

Kakashi laughed loudly and walked out from within Purple Bamboo Forest. He asked, "How did you know I was here?"

Naruto smiled, his eyes full of affection. He said, "Each time one of us has a breakthrough, where did you go? When we cultivate, we were never disturbed. When we have a breakthrough, our surroundings were extremely peaceful. There was not even a bug, let alone rodent, snakes… Something like that inside Purple Bamboo Forest, how could it not be surprising?"

Kakashi smiled happily, "It was your effort. The breakthrough was from your own abilities. This master only silently watched."

Kakashi did not say it, but he was touched. He knew those movements was done intentionally for him to see so he could cultivate and enhance his self-defense capability. A set of movements like this was extremely useful in the path of cultivation. Kakashi did not say anything further, but simply noted this silently.

This set of movements was a treasure. He simply did not know where Naruto learned it from… regardless, Kakashi did not ask. Everyone has their own secrets. If Naruto did not want to tell him then he won't ask. He respected the privacy of his disciples.

Naruto is my disciple. Knowing that is enough!

Kakashi stood there for a while before returning. In the days Naruto prepared for the breakthrough, how could he have not known? He careful observed Naruto's actions for many days. This has led to unbearable mental fatigue.

However, Naruto just had a breakthrough, he was not sleepy at all.

In the middle of the night, Naruto sat by himself at the top of the mountain. Looking into the darkness, his heart throbbed.

Hinata, I am now a Martial Warrior! I will be able to cultivate Nine Tribulations to Transcend the Nine Heavens quickly. Then I will have the ability to watch over you and protect you. I will not let you suffer any little injuries.

Where are you this moment?

Currently Hinata is only ten years old? Naruto could not help but gently smiled… what does Hinata look like right now? Probably still a little playful runt? Still in pigtails?

In the previous life, I did not meet Hinata for another nine years. She was nineteen… I was twenty-five.

Thinking about Hinata, Naruto went back to previous life… He recalled Hinata liked purple bamboo, and he, reminiscing his warm childhood, chose the most purple of bamboo forests to cultivate in. Therefore, at a purple bamboo forest on the Heavenly Misty Peak of the Nirvana Mountains, he and Hinata met for the first time.

Ultimately, Hinata was also attacked near Heavenly Misty Peak's purple bamboo forest. The place where there were some purple bamboo houses he and Hinata built together…

There were a few young bamboo shoots… Hinata had carefully planted them one by one along the road he often walked on. At that time, she said, "Naruto, if I die one day, please spread my ashes on this road… so my spirit can be part of it… so every time you walk by here, you can step on me. I voluntarily let you step on me… even though you might not intend to visit me but only want to see purple bamboo, it would still be good… I only need to feel your presence even if it's just for a little while… a little is good enough."

Hinata, Hinata…

Naruto thought bitterly. There was a gentle smile on his face and his eyes seemed full of longing!

It was getting late into the night, almost midnight. Naruto sat on a large boulder with his arms wrapped around his knees. He was immersed in his memories with his clothes fluttering in the night wind and wrapping around him, making him look like solid pine stump.

Another two hours passed. The night's sky was at its darkest.

Just as Naruto was about to stand up to go back to his room, he suddenly sensed something out of the ordinary! His gaze sharpened, and he focused on the mountain range on the right.

There was a small path leading from another mountain range into Beyond the Heavens Sect that very few people knew about.

Under Naruto's intense gaze, there appeared three black shadows gliding forward as quickly as the wind at the foot of the mountain. In the shadows of the night, they appeared and disappeared like apparitions.

Naruto frowned, this was the best time for secretive actions! Moreover, this darkest window barely lasts an hour. These people clearly hid there earlier and waited till this hour to take action.

They absolutely had bad intentions!

Remembering Kakashi's words about protecting Beyond the Heavens Sect, Naruto's eyes narrowed. He stood up and like a comet, he shot forward. Stepping on the vertical cliff face a few times, he was finally at the foot of the mountain. Using the trees and shrubs as covering, he moved at the fastest possible speed in the direction of the three people.

Even though Naruto was currently only a first grade Martial Warrior, he was not afraid at all! If he could not fight them he certainly was capable of escaping. If these people truly had malicious intents, Naruto felt he needed to get involved to pay back his master and the sect.

After only a few moments of giving chase, he had already covered a few miles.

Naruto moved his body lightly. He was as flexible as smoke. If there was an expert watching him on the side, he would have been shocked. Every place Naruto stepped on was in an absolute blind spot. Even though his speed was extremely fast, he continually ended up in places that completely covered his body. The hiding spots that he only just found were actually impeccable positions! Being a few meters away, he could take one glance at the terrain ahead and immediately created a perfect plan of action!

Naruto kept moving forward; after chasing for about five or six miles, he could see the entrance to Beyond the Heavens Sect in the distance. He suddenly realized something and stopped charging forth. In a flash, his body blended with the shadows of the night. Afterward, he slowly moved forward along the mountain side, not making even the slightest sound…

The three shadows huddled in a crack on the mountain side and quietly waited.

Not too far in front of them was the entrance to Beyond the Heavens Sect, a place well-guarded day and night by many disciples. Each of the nine peaks sent one disciple to monitor each other as well as jointly guard the entrance.

With the exception of Purple Bamboo Garden, all nine peaks of Beyond the Heavens Sect were part of this mountain range.

These people obviously did not dare storm the entrance even though, in term of strength, they were probably not afraid of these disciples. However, if an altercation were to occur then they basically rustled the grass and scared the snake.

It seemed that they were either waiting or planned to take some action right there. Naruto calculated silently. His body moved little by little in an extremely careful manner. He finally gained another three meters putting the distance between them at less than ten meters.

The three all had black scarves covering their faces. They carefully hid themselves behind a large boulder. When Naruto saw where they were hiding he could not help but praise them. It would seem this was not their first time here. The place where they were hiding was blocked off on all three sides with on one side facing toward two possible escape routes, one of which was very well hidden. In the case of some unintended event, they could still quickly escape without being surrounded by the enemies.

Naruto slowed his breathing almost stopping it. His body became an extension of the rock as he quietly waited. When it comes to patience, he was certain that there was no one under the heavens comparable to him.

Time slowly drifted when a thin one of the three, having little patience, asked in a low voice, "What's going on here? Weren't the appointment time clearly stated already? Why is that wretch not here yet?"

"Be a little patient, don't be quick to have a temper." Another person in a black outfit looked around and gave warning. After that, he looked up again suspiciously and said, "Why do I feel like there are some little movements?"

Hearing this, the other two became alert as well. Their ears perked as they tried to listen to their surroundings.

Naruto maintained his breathing, and paid no more attention to their words than he would a passing breeze. He did not move.

This was a kind of sense, like when you are walking on a road alone and someone was following you, you can feel this without turning around. One does not have to be a martial artist, any regular person has this sensing ability. However, if one turns around and sees nothing, then one would just assume that such a sense was wrong.

Sure enough, the three looked around and were reassured. The black robed person who noticed something earlier now mocked himself and said, "I was just being paranoid."

"Caution is always a good thing." The other two said in low voices.

At this moment, there were some movements at the sect's entrance. A voice shouted out, "Who goes there?"

A firm voice replied, "It is I!"

"Ah, it is second elder martial uncle. This disciple was disrespectful."

"Hmm."

"Second elder martial uncle, you are going to cultivate?"

"That's right. Cultivation requires determination, you should also remember that if you put in enough effort to file down steel, you will have a needle one day. The natural energy of heaven and earth will be most potent at sunrise. This is also the best time to cultivate."

"Yes, we will keep your teachings."

A black shadow slowly went across the entrance. Behind him, the guarding disciples were still praising:

"Second elder martial uncle is an important person in our sect. Even though his cultivation level is so high, he is so down to earth. Moreover, he is extremely diligent; he went out every day at this time to cultivate. His stamina is admirable. I am sure I could not be like that.

Another voice said, "That doesn't need to be said. Second Elder Martial Uncle is an incredible person; how can you compare?"

Naruto was shocked. This person was really Second Elder Martial Uncle, Don Kato! Dan Kato's father – head of Locking Clouds Peak in Beyond the Heavens Sect, second top person of the sect!

Don Kato was dressed neatly with sword hanging on his waist. His appearance showed he was going to practice with his sword. He deliberately left the sect and with a jump he flew away, creating a graceful curve in the air…

After a few jumps, Don Kato neared that place, but he did a few rounds before arriving at that large boulder.

It seems this is not the first time they meet. Naruto thought to himself. Moreover, the disciple did say that "he went out every day at this time to cultivate." This showed that Don Kato had secretly done this many times before.

"Why did you wait until this hour? Any news?" The thin one in the three asked briskly.

"Am I late?" Don Kato asked with a humph, showing that he was obviously annoyed with that question. He continued, "You brought the item?"

"No hurry with that item." Another black outfit person quickly appeased him. "Elder brother Li, quickly tell us of the recent changes."

With another humph, Don Kato suppressed his voice and said, "There is something devilish going on. I want to ask, besides you people, are there anyone else interested in Beyond the Heavens Sect?"

The three black outfits were stunned and stared at each other, "We are really not clear on this. In any case, Beyond the Heavens Sect is currently in a precarious situation, it is likely that there are people who want to cast their nets."

Don Kato said, "Ah. A while ago, Hiruzen Sarutobi sent the ninth master, Sakumo, along with two top disciples of the sect and his daughter to Iron Cloud Nation."

"Iron Cloud Nation?" The three cried out in unison.

"Exactly, moreover… This action was very secretive, but, from what I learned, the four of them were attacked en route more than once! Obviously, someone did not want them to get to their destination. Plus, they seem to have been very well informed." Don Kato said with a calm face.

Behind them, Naruto was astounded. It seemed that Don Kato was not the only mole!

"What was the purpose for going to Iron Cloud Nation?" The three asked, only wanting to know the reasons and obviously without a care for the well-being of Sakumo's group.

"I don't know." Don Kato frowned, and immediately added, "In any case, no matter what happened, they have gone to Iron Cloud. For us, this means half of our goal has been achieved."

"Exactly. Beyond the Heavens Sect is in the territory of our Great Sky, but Hiruzen Sarutobi dared sent people to collude with Iron Cloud! He is really audacious!" One of the black outfits said in a low voice.

"Just this piece of information alone made our journey worthwhile. Brother, you have done well." Said another black outfitted person. Even though his face was covered, the sound of his voice showed that he was only smiling outwardly.

"I dare not receive such compliments. It was what you have done that helped this situation along." Don Kato said thoughtfully. "You are part of the imperial army; you have the resources and you certainly would not let things go on their own course if you could help it. Let alone the fact that we have been secretly putting more pressure on Hiruzen Sarutobi making him lean toward Iron Cloud. Even though nothing is finalized yet, my mission is almost complete…"

Naruto was stunned. People from the imperial army? Beyond the Heaven Sect was a sect in Jiang Hu; what did the imperial army have anything to do with it?

And apparently, this 'imperial army' referred to the imperial army of the Great State of Sky!

Naruto had a vague feeling that an astronomic conspiracy was unfolding. It was likely that the destruction of Beyond the Heavens Sect in his previous life was related to this!

"Don Kato, was that not the original agreement between Shinno and you?" The black outfit leader asked laughingly, "We help Shinno depose Hiruzen Sarutobi, eliminating an opposition. We will protect Beyond the Heavens Sect, making it an imperial sect. Your disciples can become officials of the court with glorious future and make their family proud!"

He smiled and continued, "Such a wonderful position, even the leader of the Sects' Alliance would be extremely touched! How could you possibly feel that a few pieces of information such as this is worthy of a lifetime of riches?"

Don Kato became livid, each word was filled with anger, "The lives of my entire household are in your hands. Why bother with talk of riches?"

The black outfitted person thought for a moment and eventually lowered his voice, "In truth, Don Kato, I dare not hide the facts. You wanted a Thousand Year Old Crystal Mushroom… it's really too hard to find. The Minister sent eighteen teams to search everywhere. Once it is found, it will be brought to you immediately."

He continued with a cheerful tone, "The Minister knew you are currently most concerned with this! Don Kato, you are one romantic person… such a rare and mysterious treasure between heaven and earth is the stuff of dreams and not always achievable. If you don't have the patience, there's nothing we can do."

With a humph, Don Kato said angrily, "I can wait, for a hundred years even. However, my wife cannot. She depends on it to save her life!"

"Of course, of course. That's why even though Shinno cannot send a Thousand Year Old Crystal Mushroom, he gave us Thrice-Born Pills to bring to you." The black outfit person laughed contentedly, "Three!"

Don Kato perked his head, "Really?"

Not only him but even Naruto, who was secretly listening was a little shocked. Thrice-Born Pills! Thousand Year Old Crystal Mushroom! These were things you could not hope to find. Why would Don Kato need them?

Thrice-Born Pills were not actually medicine pills but a kind of fruit from a strange tree. This tree would sprout and grow branches, but then would wilt after ten years. After twenty more years, it would sprout more branches for fifty years, making itself a small tree. At that time it would wilt for a period of fifty years, and after that, it would sprout for a third time. This time it takes two hundred years to become a fully grown tree and bloom a kind of poisonous flower. The fruits from these flowers are Thrice-Born Pills!

These fruits were the size of a grape. As for the tree, it would immediately wilt and never recover again.

Thrice born for a total of 330 years to have fruits just once. The value of such fruits was obvious, but the effectiveness as a medicine was even more so. It could be used to end chronic illnesses, to keep incurable diseases at bay, to treat serious injuries, increase internal energy, and increase life expectancy!

As for thousand years Crystal Mushroom, that was the stuff of legends… under the heavens, it was the ultimate medicine! It was said that it could save lives, regrow muscles, bones, etc… as for the specifics, even Naruto did not know.

However, both of these are similar in that they cure illnesses. Is it possible that Don Kato's wife is sick?

This Shinno was really generous. He gave Don Kato three Thrice-Born Pills in one shot!

"Three Thrice-Born Pill fruits, enough to keep my wife safe for three years!"

There appeared a jade box in the black outfit person's hand. He said, "Shinno said that if he cannot find Crystal Mushroom in three years, he will definitely find other ways to compensate for your loss!"

He raised his voice and said, "Shinno was clear on this matter. For a thousand times, he would not deceive you in this matter! The minister said that even though both sides are in this for their own benefits, frankness and earnestness are critical! These words came straight from the minister's mouth."

Don Kato bowed his head and said in a low, serious voice, "Thank you for the minister's frankness and sincerity. Don Kato understands!"

His head was bowed down when he said this. The sky was also dark so his facial expression could not be seen… but Naruto, who was hiding behind a boulder sneered internally. By the sound of it, this Shinno seemed great. However, adding on Don Kato's words from earlier, "The lives of my entire household are in your hands. Why bother with talk of riches?" all of his praises became rotten.

It was true that Don Kato was greedy. However, he did not voluntarily do this; he was certainly being threatened.

The person who threatened him was the one talking about trust? If Don Kato truly believed in it then he must be the number one idiot under the heavens!

"Thrice-Born Pills is extremely precious. If you want to preserve them well, then just leave them in this box. Only open it when necessary… you should know that each time you open this box, the potency of the Thrice-Born Pills will decrease."

The black outfit person solemnly instructed and continued, "About Iron Cloud, we need to quickly report this to Shinno. The minister will certainly have some plans for this. Don Kato, we bid farewell!"

With an authoritative voice, Don Kato said, "I won't see you off then…" And with that, he carefully pocketed the jade box into his robe.

The three people in the black outfits had gone far away, yet Don Kato still remain standing in the same place. With a heavy sigh, he went back with the jade box. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared in the darkness.

Naruto continued to stand still in his hiding place behind the boulder. His breathing was maintained without any changes.

As expected, the sound of the wind rose, Don Kato appeared once again. He made a few rounds of the surroundings, and when he was sure there was no one was around to spy on him, he flew away.

"He finally left", Naruto sighed inwardly. He knew that the secrets he heard today were closely related to the survival of Beyond the Heavens Sect. This was extremely important! If he were discovered, then surviving would be as difficult as flying to heaven!

Cannot be too careful!

No one could imagine that the mole in Beyond the Sects was the second ranking member of the sect, the all powerful Don Kato!

Naruto wanted to move and stretch his arms and legs which seemed to have hardened when suddenly his whole body stiffened. He quietly looked up ahead.

In the place where the four were just talking, there unexpectedly appeared from out of nowhere, an apparition of a black outfitted person!

Naruto's scalp became a little numbed because he couldn't believe that he completely did not detect when this person had come!

This person was dressed in black. His tall and slender stature stood motionless… after a moment, he suddenly sighed and said casually, "Naruto, come on out!"

The hair on Naruto's nape stood on its ends. It seemed this person clearly knew where he was. Moreover, who he was!

It was too late for escape now. Plus, from the sound of his voice, it did not seem he had any malicious intentions. Naruto decided to come out. He walked forward step by step.

"You heard everything?" That person asked with his hands clasped behind his back. With his back toward Naruto, he asked in a leisurely manner.

"Yes, you heard everything as well? Moreover, compared to me, you probably heard even better, right?" Naruto smiled slightly as he narrowed his eyes and asked back.

The other person let out a deep laugh as he slowly turned around. The darkest period has now passed, and the sky slowly brightened. The early morning sun rays from the horizon weakly shined on the face of this person. His black beard loosely hung in front of his chest, his face straight and serious, letting out an aura that demanded respect…

After seeing him, Naruto could not help but become even more shaken. He was so surprised that he was speechless.

This person, unexpectedly, was the Sect Master of Beyond the Heavens Sect – Hiruzen Sarutobi!

Why was he here? If he was here, then he definitely already knew what Don Kato was up to… why didn't he stop him?

At the moment, a curtain of doubt was raised inside Naruto… he only felt hazy and confused. Even a person who lived two lifetimes like him could not make sense of this entanglement.

"Follow me." Hiruzen Sarutobi said, looking at brightening sky. Suddenly, he grabbed Naruto's sleeve and pulled him. They ran quickly, turning east and west until they got to a crevice in the mountain not too far from Purple Bamboo Garden.

This crevice was not especially secluded but it was relatively empty and deserted. This was because there was nothing of interest in this crevice so Naruto and the others normally did not bother to come here.

On the wall there was a spot that had collapsed making a perfect little cave almost two meters deep.

"Come in." Hiruzen Sarutobi entered first.

Naruto followed. Upon entering, he found a small, glossy stone pedestal. It seemed to have been made into a sitting bench and looked like it had been used very often.

As expected, with a flourish of his sleeves, Hiruzen Sarutobi sat down on it. He looked up at Naruto and stared carefully at him for a moment. The corner of his mouth revealed a smile; there was even perhaps a feel of familiarity.

"You were not bad." Hiruzen Sarutobi's first sentence was short.

"Those three were people from the Golden Horse Rider Department of Great Sky. More specifically, the Golden Horse Rider Department currently being controlled by Prime Minister Shinno. An extremely secretive organization!" Hiruzen Sarutobi began explaining without giving Naruto a chance to talk.

"Golden Horse Rider Department, Shinno…" Naruto seemed to be thinking about something. These two names were so big in his previous life that the mere mention of them was like the sound of thunder!

The Golden Horse Rider Department was actually the secret weapon of the Great Sky Dynasty.

As for Shinno, the name might sound gentle, but he was in fact a powerful and talented character; world renowned! Legend has it that this person did not understand martial arts. However, he had started reading at three, and had finished schooling at five. By the time he was thirteen, his scholarly talents had made him famous all over. He became an official at the age of sixteen, and was able to manage a whole group of towns in an orderly manner. At the age of 20, he oversaw the entire Southeast territory of Great Sky. At 25, he became an official in the imperial court and was involved in management of the territories of the entire Great Sky Nation. At the age of 30, he ascended to the position of Prime Minister. This person was now not yet thirty-five years old, but he served only under one person and had dominion over millions. He could call the winds and stop the waves. With control over the imperial court and military officials, he was all-powerful under the heavens!

Such achievements, there could be only one in all of time!

Before, the officials were always in conflict with each other. However, this Shinno brought the scholars and the military officials together. This was because he did not merely have the capability to oversee a nation but he also had the ambition to expand beyond the borders!

Uniting all under the heavens was the biggest desire of Shinno!

In Naruto's previous life, this Shinno commanded all of the Lower Three Heavens continent! It seemed that across the Lower Three Heavens, there was not one conspiracy without the shadow of influence of this Shinno!

It was precisely under the orders of Shinno that the Golden Horse Rider Department carried out the assassination of the next ruler of Iron Cloud Nation – Crown Prince Haku. After that, he sent the armored cavalry of Great Sky to aggressively attack Iron Cloud and decimated them in one move. Great Sky became as powerful as the sun at midday and took over Limitless Nation as well. From then on, all of the Lower Three Heavens was ruled by Great Sky!

The most powerful thing about Shinno was the fact that he did not just use the imperial court's power but also that of the sects in Jiang Hu. He used their conflicting interests and greed to either cause chaos or create allies. With his skillful manipulation, he gradually led them to inadvertently help Great Sky accomplish those tasks that either it could not do or found inconvenient…

Furthermore, what was worse was that they did not notice this. If he did not admit it himself, then it was likely that the sects would be forever blinded by his deceptions!

In the previous life, when Naruto was looking for the Nine Tribulation Sword fragments in the Upper Three Heavens, Great Sky nation has already conquered Iron Cloud and Limitless. It has already began to expand its borders beyond that. The name Golden Horse Rider Department had become a permanent fixture under the heavens because of these conquests.

Hiruzen Sarutobi naturally did not know that Naruto knew these things and had continued to explain to him what the Golden Horse Rider Department was.

"This disciple only wants to know why you did not stop it?" Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Why should I stop it?" Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled.

"Huh?"

"These past years, I have, without fail, gone with second martial brother to that 'cultivation spot'." Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled sarcastically, "Even though he did not know it, I already knew since that very first contact they made five years ago."

Naruto became even more alarmed. While he was still looking at Hiruzen Sarutobi's warm face, he could not help but felt a sense of loss rising up inside him.

In his previous life, because the sect was destroyed and Naruto never had any interaction with this sect master, he looked down on him. A master who let his sect get destroyed was not worthy of any mention. But now that he knew Hiruzen Sarutobi to be shrewd person… Anyone who thought that he was dumb would truly be the dumb one!

Actually, when you think about it, no one becomes a sect leader by being an idiot.

However, Hiruzen Sarutobi did let a conspiracy develop for five years!

Why?

Naruto looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi's composed face and seemed to vaguely understand a little bit.

"At first they wanted to incite a rebellion inside Beyond the Heavens Sect… Truthfully, since I became Master of Beyond the Heavens Sect, the other martial brothers were disgruntled. The elders of the sect even started to split into factions… a rebellion was already starting. A situation like this needed to be purged before the sect can grow stronger." Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a heavy heart, "That is why I let him do what he did. If I was not successful, then the sect would have been destroyed anyway. There was nothing more to say."

"But by the second year, they gradually exposed their true purpose. That was to use the excuse that Beyond the Heavens Sect colluded with outsiders to start a war between Great Sky and Iron Cloud. Using this pretext, they would pay only a small price to destroy Iron Cloud and further their plans to unify all under the heavens."

"How can this be?" Naruto said fearfully, "Beyond the Heavens Sect, no matter how strong, is only a sect. How could it be in the position to spark a war between two countries?"

"Nothing is impossible. What's important is whether you do it and how you would do it." Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed coldly.

"Uh, sect master, why did you say these… things to me? Was this not the first time we met?" The more he heard, the more Naruto became uneasy. He felt as if he was be pulled into a quagmire of a big conspiracy. His legs was covered in mud and he had no way of pulling them out.

"Calm down, don't rush. Of course I told you for a reason. Have a seat first." Hiruzen Sarutobi glared.

Naruto reluctantly raised his eyebrows and found a rock to sit on. It might have been deliberate or unintentional, but the rock he was sitting on was bigger and taller than that of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Earlier when he was standing and Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting, it seemed like he was the subordinate listening to orders. However, now that he was sitting down, even though his height was about the same as when he was standing, the appearance seemed to have reversed with Naruto looking down from above.

The Sect Master was sitting below him; this situation was indeed paradoxical.

Hiruzen Sarutobi raised an eyebrow, and laughed as if it was nothing. He looked at Naruto without paying any mind to his disrespect and continued to talk.

Naruto let out a pained laugh internally. He only needed Hiruzen Sarutobi to give one hint of discontent, then he would have a reason to take his leave and escape from this predicament. Surprisingly, this cunning man was not bothered by it at all.

Curiosity can kill. This is true enough.

Naruto was full of regrets. Did I have nothing to do but follow those three? I have bought my own noose…

"Even though the Crown Prince of Iron Cloud, Haku, is still young, only seventeen or eighteen, he is extremely talented. Moreover, he values the forces in Jiang Hu, especially martial artists. With his own hands, he created a place called Yuki Pavilion, a place for gathering heroes from all over! Particularly, this person has respect for the wise; he searches for good talents and treats them generously. He is a rare youth! Iron Cloud Nation's King Rahyo is sickly and constantly bedridden. The whole country depends on Haku for day to day operations… Even though he has not ascended to the throne yet, he is the pillar of Iron Cloud military!"

"You can say that if Haku died, Iron Cloud nation will definitely fall!"

Naruto drooped and mumbled in agreement.

Talented youth, then what? He will be killed three years from now. The country will be destroyed along with him. Naruto clearly remembered the prince of Iron Cloud Nation's death was because Great Sky sent more than five hundred expert martial artists. They even had to spend a large sum of money to hire assassin organizations in order to be successful. However, no one was alive afterward!

At the time, this story shook the whole world. Iron Cloud national also retaliated with extreme cruelty; it was a blood soaked revenge. Thousands died in the four districts on Great Sky border – even livestock were not spared! It was clearly seen how important the Crown Prince of Iron Cloud was…

"However, it is in his generous treatment of talents that Great Sky found his weakness!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a heavy heart, "It is naturally a good point, but his generous treatment will lead to closeness which provides an advantage to assassins! That's why many people are casual and friendly before they are successful, but become unapproachable afterward. This is not because they have changed, but because of safety reasons!"

Naruto acted indifferent on the outside, but internally said, "That makes sense."

"Great Sky has, over the course of time, sent more than twenty groups of assassins to kill Haku, but they have all retreated in failure. That's why they wanted to use our Beyond the Heavens Sect." Hiruzen Sarutobi let out an icy laugh.

With an "ah", Naruto said, "That's why eldest martial uncle decided not to expose their plan after learning about it, but instead designed your own plans?"

"Not bad!" Hiruzen Sarutobi stroked his beard and said, "They wanted to take advantage of us; why not take advantage of them and use this opportunity to rise up?"

Naruto finally understood the reason why Beyond the Heavens Sect was destroyed in his previous life! It was because Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted to use the opportunity of two countries in conflict to rise up. However, his over-calculated plan turned into shreds…

This was too complicated.

When it comes to dealing with an anomaly like Shinno, no one can be sure of anything! Even someone from his previous life who was hailed as a master of calculation and manipulation, Toneri, had to stand inferior to Shinno!

After conquering all of the Lower Three Heavens continent, the people praised Shinno with the following chant: One person but more than a hundred thousand mighty advisors! When referring to him even his enemies have to concede that he is the one and only in history!

This person was born full of schemes; a natural politician and military commander! Moreover, he was regal and has comprehensive knowledge of all things. It has been said that even though Shinno does not know any martial arts, if he were to enter Upper Three Heavens, he would at least become a ruler over a territory! This level of admiration was terrifying!

Hiruzen Sarutobi was taking a big risk. Like walking on a tight rope on the side of the thousand meter tall mountain, he only needed to have one little slip then his body would be in pieces!

"I know I am playing with fire!" Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a worrisome countenance, "One slip and Beyond the Heavens Sect would surely be destroyed. But… but I can't afford not to play this game."

Naruto nodded in agreement.

"Great Sky has applied a lot of pressure on Beyond the Heavens Sect all these years for their plans. However, time and time again they did not push us to the point of death, just enough for us lean toward Iron Cloud."

"We only need to completely side with Iron Cloud. The moles in the sect… besides your second martial uncle, there are three others from the ten of us… all in collusion with other sects. This is also the reason why these past few years the other sects also bullied us a lot. I imagine this is also part of Shinno's plan. We just have yet to see what his real purpose is. One thing that I am sure of is when we have completely side with Iron Cloud, the assassination of Haku would become much easier!" Hiruzen Sarutobi worried. "Shinno only needs Haku to die and does not care about Beyond the Heavens Sect. However, once Haku dies, our Beyond the Heavens Sect will surely vaporize like a mist."

Naruto face gradually became serious. He did not know all the details of this event, but he did know that, in his previous life, Haku would die, and he would die two months before Beyond the Heaven Sect is destroyed!

If Hiruzen Sarutobi continued to follow his plans then the tragedy will most likely happen again! However, if Hiruzen Sarutobi abandoned his plans then Beyond the Heavens Sect will fall under pressure from the court and other sects, all arranged by one Shinno, and perish even quicker!

Moreover, the plans were in full motion and cannot be stopped. Beyond the Heavens Sect and Iron Cloud Nation have already established their relationship. Even without Hiruzen Sarutobi, Don Kato can still have the authority to act as an official representative. Thus, Shinno's plans moved forward with ease!

With Shinno's extreme craftiness, this was no difficulty at all. In fact, it was almost a convenience. Besides the reasons mentioned, there was another reason why Shinno chose Beyond the Heavens Sect. Beyond the Heavens Sect was very close to the border between Great Sky and Limitless nation! Plus the place was full of high mountains and dense forests. An army of ten thousand could be hidden here and no one would be the wiser!

This was a strategic spot for war!

If Iron Cloud Nation were to perish, Great Sky would march its army from Iron Cloud through Beyond the Heavens Sect and be in Limitless nation in five days! At that time, if other troops also marched into Limitless Nation from other directions then it would be taken in less than a month!

In another word, Shinno had extensively planned layers upon layers of scheme. And he only needed the small key that was Beyond the Heavens Sect to open wide the door that would lead him to unifying all under the heavens!

The details of his plans were probably not that simple. It was likely that there were countless conspiracies, manipulations, and knots. All of which Naruto had no knowledge of. What he did know were the events which unfolded in his previous life!

The issue at hand was that while Naruto knew the exact direction of the events to follow but had no power to change it!

Not only could he not think of a way to stop it, no one would believe what he has to say. Dear reader, if you stood in the middle of the road and said: In 2050, the earth will be destroyed… How many people would believe you? Most likely they will uniformly call you crazy… Moreover, how would you stop the earth from being destroyed? Even if you knew exactly when it would be destroyed, what can you do?

Naruto was currently in that exact situation. He was just an average disciple of Beyond the Heavens Sect. What skills did he have to change a fate that was created by the military power of hundreds of thousands from the three nations?

For the first time, Naruto had a kind of feeling: History, it cannot be changed!

So what if I had a second life? It's just the concern of one man with no relation to any others. If history cannot be turned, then what will be of Hinata?

What should I do?

Should I just watch the tragedies unfold this second time around?

At this moment, Naruto suddenly felt something clear but at the same time fuzzy. His spirit entered into a mysterious realm: If I cannot change these events, then this proves that history cannot be changed. Those who are supposed to die will die. Even after a hundred thousand actions, everyone is still bound by their unchangeable fate!

If these events could not be changed then Hinata's fate could not be changed! At most it can be changed by a few years. Like the case of Obito, he was supposed to die in four years and now he died four years early. As for Hinata, Naruto could try and help her live a few years longer, but she would soon meet her tragic fate! This was one of the things that no one can predict.

If the overall course of history could not be change, then Hinata would not be able to spend her life with Naruto!

This was fate!

It was already determined! No one can change it!

This was a type of enlightenment, and a profound revelation for the ways of the heavens. In a blink of an eye, Naruto was suddenly enlightened.

History was the focal point of the ways of the heavens!

However, this enlightenment only led him to feel more indignant and violent… a blood thirsty desire to kill surged inside him!

If history could not be changed then it would mean… Hinata would still have to die?

No! I will not yield!

Sitting in front of him, Hiruzen Sarutobi was terrified. His eyes widened.

Just a second ago, Naruto was quietly listening to him talk. Suddenly after, it seemed as if he fell into a mysterious state. Even though he was clearly within reach, Hiruzen Sarutobi found it unbelievable that he could not feel his breathing. Unexpectedly, there was a sudden outburst of extremely violent killing aura from his body!

Hiruzen Sarutobi was so frightened he jumped to his feet, unable to maintain his original composure…

The killing aura was violent that Hiruzen Sarutobi felt as if it could kill a hundred thousand people in one shot… Hiruzen Sarutobi also believed it!

With his killing aura rising like a surging tide, Naruto's fists were clenched tightly and his whole body was secreting a dangerous air. A brutal bloodthirsty emotion was convulsing in his meridians!

The killing aura was a mighty flood rushing through his meridians and then slammed into his dantian like a tsunami. It tossed and turned in there as if it was a hungry tiger in a cage!

At this time, Naruto laughed and then powerfully ripped himself from this mysterious state.

This was a state from the Way of the Heavens!

The state that millions of martial artists earnestly wished to enter, but Naruto has just pulled himself from it! Without any regrets!

A fierce battle like violent hurricanes; it left Naruto shaken and disoriented… the deepest spot of his mind felt as if the force of waterfall was dumped on it. His orifices simultaneously bled. Suddenly, his eyes radiated as he let out a light roar, "Who said history cannot be inverted? I want to change it! If it doesn't work one day I will try again for many days… we'll see who is more stubborn!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi did not know why Naruto suddenly roared like that. He could not help but be a little startled and took a few steps back.

At this moment, the killing aura inside Naruto's dantian struggled and let out a "bam" and dissipated… a booming voice laughed and said, "Not bad, not bad. You finally understand the nature of Nine Tribulation Sword… It is… Invert Fate!"

As the voice said this, in the sky that was clear for a thousand miles there was the sound of thunder. A column of lightning that seemed to carry the anger of all Nine Heavens slammed down! Blinding white light illuminated several thousand miles making it seemed like daytime! It was infinitely spectacular!

There was a thunderous boom in the mountain as it crumbled like bubbles. A few thousand blocks of rocks flew in all directions. The ground shook as if it was the apocalypse!

The cave they were in was broken apart and became completely exposed!

Hiruzen Sarutobi jumped and screamed in terror… his body was trembling and pouring sweat. His head was empty as his spirit seemed to have fled to the clouds. He could not make sense of what just happened.

Naruto clearly heard a voice from his dantian talking inside him. He was in shock and wanted to say something but he did not know how to talk to a voice from inside his dantian. He thought perhaps he could direct communication via his thoughts.

While Naruto was still bewildered and did not know what to do, that voice boomed once again: "Fate is rubbish! Tear it! Break it! Destiny is rubbish! Change it! Go against it! History is rubbish! Destroy it! Kill it! Hahaha…"

These ideas from inside Naruto carried with them extreme arrogance with an utter lack of respect for heaven and earth. Along with the thunder and lightning from the surroundings, they became even more powerful!

Naruto's spirit was greatly disturbed. He cannot help but muttered the same words, "Fate is rubbish! Tear it! Break it! Destiny is rubbish! Change it! Go against it! History is rubbish! Destroy it! Kill it!"… He felt these words were extremely suited to his personality, arrogant and unruly. This was the kind of feeling he wanted!

That arrogant voice inside him laughed loudly and said, "Your thoughts are correct. If you want to change your destiny, from now on, change the state of this whole world! Go against it! If you cannot change destiny and invert history then Hinata will definitely still die in misery! Muahahaha…"

Naruto trembled. He wanted to respond when suddenly a voice asked incredulously, "What are you saying? What's going on with you?"

Startled, Naruto looked up to see Hiruzen Sarutobi evaluating him with a terrified look on his face. Based on his appearance, he did not hear anything that was said. Naruto stuttered and carefully checked all the emotions from his dantian. He discovered that they have now all quieted.

Everything that passed was like a dream!

However, Naruto was sure it was not a dream!

"I am fine." Naruto laughed. At this moment he discovered his body was soaked in sweat. His clothes looked like he has just walked out of a pond.

"Why did you suddenly become frozen? And how did you just started sweating profusely in the blink of an eye? And your orifices bled? And what happened just now? How could there have been lightning like that? It was strong enough to break open a mountain…" Still a little scared, Hiruzen Sarutobi looked up at the morning sky, and gave Naruto a worried look. "Naruto, do you have some condition you do not want to reveal?"… without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Naruto's wrist and checked his condition. However, after careful examination, Hiruzen Sarutobi could not find anything out of the ordinary with Naruto. He could not help but shook his head and said, "Strange."

"This disciple is also not sure, maybe spying on those people earlier was too distressful for me. I am scared just thinking about it now." Naruto said meekly.

"Ah, perhaps." Hiruzen Sarutobi advised, "You should not push yourself too much. If you notice that there is something abnormal with your body, you should tell your teacher immediately. If your teacher does not know what to do then tell him to come to me!"

Naruto immediately agreed.

Inside, he was still puzzled about those phrases: Invert history! Invert destiny! Invert fate!

If you want to change your destiny, you must go against it!

I will go against it immediately!

Naruto was quietly grinding his teeth… So be it! Mother**, I am not afraid of this rubbish!

If I want to go against it, then how should I do it?

"We should go elsewhere to continue this conversation." Hiruzen Sarutobi held Naruto and flew out of the area… the earlier commotion had drawn many people toward that spot.

The two went round about for a while before finding an area convenient for their conversation. Naruto laughed to himself. A master of Beyond the Heavens Sect has to go winding all over the place in his own territory. This was like a thief stealing from his own home.

This feeling was indescribably entertaining.

"You heard everything I said earlier?" Hiruzen Sarutobi asked, "What do you think?"

Things started to move quickly in Naruto's head. He remained quietly for a while and then said thoughtfully, "Sect Master, are you say that… If they wanted to use conflict to unify all under the heavens, then we should oblige them and use that momentum?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi eyes was revealed admiration, "Correct. Continue."

Naruto carefully thought everything through and said slowly, "Once the two nations go to war, then we do not necessarily lose our opportunity, but Iron Cloud will have probably lost theirs! So Sect Master's idea is to use this chaos to find a way for Beyond the Heavens Sect to live in peace!"

"Exactly!" Hiruzen Sarutobi's admiration grew as he continued, "In all these plans, one person is key!"

"This person is not Shinno, but is Haku!" Naruto mused, "Anyone may die, but Haku may not!"

"Correct."

"Haku only need to not die then with his authority and ability, he can organize the troops to go to war with Shinno and protect Iron Cloud." Naruto said, "Thus, when the war ends, even if Great Sky wins, they would not fare well! They would not have the power to take Limitless Nation. In fact, with the great damage incurred, they would probably worry about Limitless Nation attacking them! So Shinno would not dare command such reckless action."

"Very well said!" Hiruzen Sarutobi clapped. He looked at Naruto as if he has just discovered a precious treasure.

"Therefore, this battle under the heavens is strange in that it depends on only two people, Haku and Shinno! And the thing Shinno is worried about most is none other than Haku! So regardless of everything else and even if he has to maneuver things a thousand times, he has to kill Haku first!"

"Therefore, it is our responsibility to protect the life of Haku. Because we went over there from Great Sky, if Haku dies, we would be the top suspect. Most likely, we would be first to face the fierce revenge of Iron Cloud Nation. Plus, Great Sky would absolutely not let traitors like us stay alive either."

Naruto analyzed for a bit and realized that all the plans seemed to revolve around the life and death of one person – Haku!

A youth of seventeen years could become a thorn in the eyes of a world wonder like Shinno… what kind of monster was this youth?

In his previous life, Naruto only knew that Haku was assassinated at Primordial Gorge. He also knew that this person had an extraordinary reputation… but at the time, he did not pay much attention and just ignored these things. Now that he was carefully re-analyzing things, it did seem a bit frightening!

A seventeen years old who is already comparable to Shinno!

Definitely not of an ordinary type!

This reminded Naruto of another legend of Upper Three Heavens – Infinitely Excellent Saber Master Byakuya. This worldly talent if still living would be a legendary Martial Artist Saint, a sheer talent who would not pale in comparison to Shinno…!

There was also, in Middle Three Heavens, a character who spent a lifetime stirring heaven and earth – Itachi, already world renown at a young age!

Finally, there was one who controlled the dark side of Middle Three Heavens – a female of unknown appearance, the mysterious Malice!

These people along with Haku and Shinno were all heaven sent talents that were hard to find in thousands of years!

It was lucky that they were separated into three different regions! If not, it would be hard to imagine what kind of chaotic state the world would be thrown into…

"There is still one thing that you have taken lightly." Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at him admiringly, "We only need to help Haku to defeat Shinno, then we would have done a great deed comparable to leaders who helped found countries! At that time, Beyond the Heavens Sect would be able to rise high in position! Moreover, with the appropriate planning, we could even eliminate all of Beyond the Heavens Sect's hidden dangers at the same time!"

Naruto gave a pained laugh. Defeating Shinno? Easier said than done! For Shinno, regardless if it is political or battle strategy, the status remained undefeated!

Want to beat him… CHALLENGING. Naruto thought inward and immediately realized: Hiruzen Sarutobi is right. If I am determined to go against fate in this life then I cannot avoid facing Shinno!

And if I continue to hold on to the idea that Shinno cannot not be beaten, then what the heck would I be fighting!

I must win! At least, help Haku stay alive to screw up Shinno's plans! I will hold all of fate's changes in the palm of my hand!

Regardless if it is because of Beyond the Heavens Sect or Rock Lee. There is also master.

There is also Hinata!

Naruto was simmering in his determination when he heard Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed and said slowly, "Speaking of this, Naruto, Naruto… in this you have made a huge mistake! With this one mistake you have thrown my carefully prepared plans into chaos! Even at the most basic level, it cannot proceed any further."

Naruto stuttered in horror, "What? What mistake did I make?"

He thought to himself: I didn't do anything. Why did I suddenly become a terrible criminal?

"You killed Obito! You killed him too soon!" Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, "Obito was an indispensable link in my plans!"

Naruto's raised his brows, "Obito?"

"Exactly. Even though Obito was underhanded and cunning, he could be seen as a mature adept. Moreover, he was good at kissing up to people. We may look down on his tactics… but he was really the most appropriate candidate to mingle in the royal court." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed again.

"Mingle in the royal court?" Naruto was shocked. What does mingling in the court have to do with this?

"I wanted to have a person completely detached from Beyond the Heavens Sect and enter Iron Cloud Nation under a secret identity, and, if possible, become the prince's confidante. First, to ensure the safety of the prince. Second, if things are successful, this person will become the representative for Beyond the Heavens Sect in the court."

Hiruzen Sarutobi said wearily, "Live or die, we have to rise. To take on such a great venture, we simply cannot just go forward as a simple Jiang Hu sect anymore. When the time comes, if there is no one to speak for us in the court, then any big accomplishment would mean nothing. At key moments, we must have someone like that. You can easily buy politicians with gold and other benefits. The only thing is you cannot trust them."

Naruto nodded in agreement: If they can be bought by you then they can be bought by others. Even by Shinno!

That is too dangerous!

A person you can trust is best.

"I had planned to send Obito to Iron Cloud. However, you killed him." Hiruzen Sarutobi grumbled.

"Obito dared to poison his own teacher. At the critical moment, it would not be difficult for him to sell out the sect. In truth, I believe my killing him helped eliminated a hidden tragedy!" Naruto opposed fiercely.

It was now time for negotiation.

Hearing his tune, Naruto already knew what Hiruzen Sarutobi has planned for him. He naturally did not want someone leading him by the nose. Even though this matched his goals and his heart was already set, how could he ignore such a rare opportunity to establish a good position?

"I originally wanted to appoint two quick-witted people, one to Great Sky and one to Iron Cloud. The person who goes to Great Sky would be in charge of gathering information and also, if the sect falls into danger, help save some people to extend our lineage. However, after some thoughts, I abandoned that plan. Having an exit strategy no matter what the situation turns out to be is not necessarily a good thing. It is harder to apply all of your determination with an exit strategy."

"Obito, you killed him too soon." Hiruzen Sarutobi lamented, repeating the same words again.

"Yes, too soon." Internally, Naruto also had this feeling.

"I have observed you these past few days." Hiruzen Sarutobi said, "Naruto you are thoughtful, and have great foresights. You are decisive and thick-skinned. When taking action, you seize your opportunity and do not hesitate. Those characters are for doing great things. You are a hundred times better than Obito in many aspects. However, there are three good points that Obito had and you are deficient in."

"Three good points?" Naruto nodded and said, "First, being dishonorable. Second, following whichever direction the wind blows, smoothing whiskers and patting the horse's bottom. Third, using any means to achieve the goal."

"Very good!" Hiruzen Sarutobi clapped forcefully. "Do you believe that these things are despicable? That they cannot even be called good points? They should even be called horrible?"

"No! This disciple do not think so." Naruto said seriously, "However, I will absolutely not be like that. I have my own limits in everything I do."

"Right, these three things on an ordinary person is an abhorrent pile of dog poop. But on a person mingling in the court playing with politics, then they are the basic foundation for playing a good game!" Hiruzen Sarutobi smile mockingly.

"Since the time you were in that fight with Aoba, I secretly observed you every three days. You did very well. You were aware of your own shortcomings and steadfastly observed Obito. From him, you found ways to offset these deficiencies. I was really happy!"

Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed, "Unfortunately, Obito was tempted by demons and finally buried himself. The only thing was you killed him too soon. If you had let Obito continue to ask for forgiveness, he would have cried streams of tears and found hundreds of reasons. In the end, even if you still wanted to kill him, you would naturally feel that his reasons, strangely enough, are not without basis."

"This would have been a really important lesson! But you took action and lost this opportunity." Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "Human life is always full of adversity. Struggling alone in the whirlpool of political games while carrying a secret identity and mission, you will face the risk of being flooded to your head with danger. At these critical times, how to ask for forgiveness is most important. You need to be able to keep your life, then you can plan on other things!"

Naruto was quiet for a moment and asked in a deep voice, "Sect Master, what you said… can you do them? Even if you could do them, would you?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi was stunned.

A long time passed before Hiruzen Sarutobi laughed sadly. He sighed and said, "I cannot do that either!"

That's right. If you cannot do it yourself, what right do you have to ask it of others?

After a pause, Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "Regardless, you have already killed Obito so you have to replace him in this task. No more arguments about it. You… will go and complete this task! In other word, you… go forth and work hard for your future, and, in the process, help Beyond the Heavens Sect."

Naruto became taciturn.

Once I accept this task, I will completely diverge from my previous life. Moreover, I will have to face an awe-inspiring foe – Shinno!

Only, this is my life's mission! If I want to change destiny and save Hinata, I must defeat Shinno… invert destiny!

However, Naruto was currently just a simple jiang hu character. Defeating a world-renowned character like Shinno right now would be as difficult as flying to heaven…

Naruto had originally thought that once he was reborn, he would at least hold knowledge over everything that happened in the previous life and use that to live a glorious life in this lifetime. But after this, he came to realize that his life would once again fall into endless uncertainty!

Whether it was the danger or the enlightenment, compared to the previous life, it was already over a hundred fold more!

Change the major events of the world with the force of one person! Nine chances of death, one chance of life and many hidden dangers. Confronting destiny, confronting fate, confronting history, and even confronting the Way of Heaven!

Naruto cannot retreat!

For Hinata, for master, for myself, and for the fact that I do care for the rubbish destiny that fate has planned for me! I must invert it!

"I will go!" Naruto said gravely. His sword-like brows stood up and his lips pursed as if he was carrying a thousand pounds on his back.

Hiruzen Sarutobi has just relaxed a little when he heard Naruto continued, "But I have one condition."

"What condition? Speak! If the sect could do it, then you can have it. Even if you want this old man to bow in front of you… I will!" Hiruzen Sarutobi relaxed once again.

"I want to enter Seven Shades Congregation Grounds!" Naruto lifted his head high and his eyes flashed bright like an electric current. "I do not want to compete for the title of top disciple, nor do I want the position of Sect Master. I just want to increase my power a little. If you can allow this, I will go to Iron Cloud!"

"Not a problem! I will let you in tomorrow!" Hiruzen Sarutobi took two unhurried steps when his eyes suddenly flashed with the opportunistic decision.

Naruto was excited… Nine Tribulation Sword! You… are almost mine.

Nine Tribulation Sword was the key to inverting destiny! It was also the biggest hidden card in Naruto's hand! An absolute force!

"Once you go on this mission, I will erase all traces of you ever being at Beyond the Heavens Sect. From then on, you are no longer a disciple of Beyond the Heavens Sect. This task is extremely dangerous; you need to accomplish it alone. I can only supply you with checks for thirty thousand taels and a good sword. As for things to support your cultivation, I will secretly give them to you myself whenever we make contact."

Hiruzen Sarutobi exhaled and said, "Our opponent is none other than Shinno. We absolutely cannot be careless in anything! If Iron Cloud does not fall, then Beyond the Heavens Sect will rise. On the part of you, Naruto, you can be a minister in Iron Cloud if it is your fate. That is your own future! Of course, if you choose to return to the sect when the time comes, we would welcome you!"

"As for the sect's ranking competition, it is just a ruse to attract attention from outside. It is essentially a little game, not worth anything to you. I just hope that, no matter what happens, you will not forget what I have told you today."

Naruto nodded solemnly.

"Currently, Tsunade is already at Iron Cloud Citadel. The others, ninth martial uncle, Raido, and Genma do not know you. I will tell Tsunade what she needs to do."

"No, just let me talk to her." Naruto directly rebuffed. You've got to be kidding. If I am to change my identity then not letting anyone know is the best plan. To make it perfect, after I changed my identity, even Hiruzen Sarutobi should not know.

Then it should be absolutely safe!

As for the materials necessary for cultivation that Hiruzen Sarutobi promised… I will just see how the situation plays out. I only need to have the first fragment of Nine Tribulation Sword in hand, then what worry would I have about cultivation materials?

Naruto finally clearly understood why Tsunade liked Obito in the previous life. It was because Obito took on this mission and had a chance to be with Tsunade…

Even if he did not take on this mission, Naruto would still have to make a trip to Iron Cloud Nation. This was because the second fragment of the Nine Tribulation Sword was located in an extremely secret location within the citadel of Iron Cloud Nation.

In the previous life, Naruto happened to be traveling by the citadel of Iron Cloud after the nation has fallen. Thanks to the sense of the first sword fragment, he found the second. It was more than a year after obtaining the first fragment and increasing his cultivation many times that he finally obtained it.

Nine Tribulation Sword has strict hierarchical restrictions. If his cultivation level was not high enough and he had strong contact with the second fragment then he could suffer from serious consequences!


	11. Chapter 11

The morning of the day after.

Kakashi stood in front of Purple Bamboo Forest and looked at the disciple that he has such high hope for. For the longest time, he did not say a word.

After a long time, he emotionally sighed, "Naruto, this time you definitely have nine chances of death and one chance of life! Moreover, you will be in a strange place without anyone. Even with food, clothing, housing, and navigating in dangerous situations, you can only rely on yourself!"

He paused and looked at Naruto a while before saying, "You… did you think about this thoroughly?"

Naruto wanted to answer when Kakashi waved his arm to stop him, "You do not need to answer so quickly. Think carefully first. With your master here, whatever you do not want to do, no one can force you! If you don't want to, I will find the Sect Master and ask him to withdraw his order right away!"

Naruto was touched. He was critical point where he has to make one of the most important decisions of his life. And Kakashi, who was always composed over a thousand things, has finally lost control and shown his deep feelings.

"There are many things in life that we know we cannot do but still have to. Just as there are many things we know we should avoid but still cannot avoid. It was master who told me that we must have something in life to protect and care for." Naruto said sincerely, "This mission I am undertaking is because of the things I want to protect… I must do it!"

Kakashi remained quiet. After a long time, he walked toward Naruto and patted his shoulder. As he lifted his arm, it seemed to stop mid-air… Kakashi softly lowered his arm and straightened the hem of Naruto's shirt and smoothed out a few wrinkles. Afterward, he took a few steps back and looked quietly at Naruto for a moment. Finally, he turned away and looked up at the sky with folded arms. He breathed a deep sigh.

"Master!" With a surge of warmth inside him, Naruto could not help but call out.

A long while later, Kakashi waved his sleeve, and spoke with a husky voice, "Good! I will bring you… to Gathering Clouds Peak! To Seven Shades Congregation Grounds!" After saying so he started to march away without turning back.

Kakashi did not dare to turn around. He was afraid his disciple would discover his inner weakness.

He only had three disciples in his whole life. A few days ago, the first disciple betrayed him and died. Currently, the second disciple was about to embark on an uncertain journey, one that would certainly be with a thousand difficulties and one chance of life!

How could this make any teacher feel reassured?

Teacher and student aimed toward the direction of Gathering Clouds Peak and went silently. Kakashi in the front, Naruto in the back. Neither one opened their mouths.

Walking early in the morning, the mountain wind was chilly to the bone. The two felt as if the weather today was extremely bleak, as if it was carrying with it a burdensome sense of separation.

After a long moment, the mountain came into view and Naruto finally opened his mouth, "Master, Rock Lee, he… still doesn't know about this, I…"

"Don't worry. I will take really good care of him." Kakashi said coldly, "From now on, I will treat him like I would an only child. After all, if you die, I can only rely on Rock Lee to take care of me in my old age!"

Naruto held his tongue and did not dare say anything else, but he was completely reassured.

Naruto clearly understood, even though Kakashi was not expressive, he got Naruto's intention. With those words, Rock Lee would surely remain safe and sound.

As they were crossing the mountain gate, the disciples watching the gate saw Kakashi's cold and unhappy face. It seemed like a bag of volatile explosive, so they dared not say one word but simply let the two pass.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was already waiting at the door.

Today, all of the disciples were sent to Locking Clouds Peak for evaluations. This was Hiruzen Sarutobi's tactic to keep things secretive for Naruto.

Seeing Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi's gaze became cold but he did not say anything.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a pained laugh. He too did not bother with words, but said curtly, "Follow me." and led the way.

On the way into the main hall, they passed the ancestral altar. Hiruzen Sarutobi quietly reached out his arm and opened a secret doorway, and led the two in.

The passage was winding downward like a cave going deep into the heart of the mountain. Then suddenly, a majestic hall appeared. In front of this hall was a carved green jade door.

The temperature here was extremely cold.

"Your master and I will wait here. Only one person can enter Seven Shades Congregation Grounds at any time. Go by yourself. How much power you can harvest will depend entirely on you. Once you go through this door, keep walking straight forward. After going through seven doors like this, you will have reached Seven Shades Congregation Grounds! Remember, if you feel you are unable to handle the cold in there you must come back out immediately. You absolutely cannot force your body beyond its limits to gain more power!"

Naruto nodded in reply and looked up at the tall jade door. There was a flash of sharpness in his gaze.

His dantian was bouncing with excitement. As if it had just sensed something, Nine Tribulations Sword Spirit in side him suddenly started spinning wildly. It was like an excited child that has just gotten its favorite toy!

Looking at Naruto going through the door, Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakashi stood shoulder to shoulder but did not say anything. After half a day, Kakashi finally said quietly, "Eldest martial brother, do you know who Naruto is?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi remained taciturn and did not say anything.

"Naruto, I took him in when he was only three months old. I stayed by his side every day, nurturing and raising him. It has been like that all these years. Calling me his teacher is not quite accurate; I am his father and mother as well!"

"His name was given by me… He is the representation of my biggest hope in life! Eldest martial brother, do you understand?"

"I understand." Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed heavily.

"You still don't understand!" Kakashi was standing bleakly when he suddenly turned and, without warning, palmed Hiruzen Sarutobi in the face. Bam! Hiruzen Sarutobi was pushed backward, but, surprisingly, he did not let out a sound.

Without a care, Kakashi jumped up and continued with an aggressive kick in Hiruzen Sarutobi's stomach sending him to the ground. Then he landed on this sect master and started to pour down a shower of punches.

The sound of the punches rang out. In this area more than ten meters underground, the two did not say a word. Kakashi has let out all his aggressions on the sect master!

From the beginning to end, Hiruzen Sarutobi did not say anything nor did he fight back. When Kakashi had landed more than one hundred punches, he stopped. The master of Beyond the Heavens Sect's face was swollen like a pig and his whole body was covered with bruises.

"Junior martial brother… Now, this is the real you! It has been twenty years, I finally get go see you lose control. These past years, you remained cold and emotionless, it was really annoying… hahaha, hack…" Hiruzen Sarutobi sprawled on the ground coughing. He continued, "That's why I let you beat me up, even if it was worse, it's would be worth it! I am really happy!"

"If something happens to Naruto, I will help you feel really happy every day! Every day as cheerful as this one!" Kakashi stood up and said casually.

"Junior martial brother… No only Naruto, but even you and I are drowning in this vortex as well… no one's survival is certain! This is the destiny of our Beyond the Heavens Sect!" Hiruzen Sarutobi arduously stood up. With just a little movement, his whole body was sored. He could not help but gasp and complained, "You, you… damn it… you don't even have a little love."

With a hmph, Kakashi turned around and looked at the green jade door. His countenance was anxious as he sank into deep thoughts. His gaze grew more and more conflicted.

Naruto walked straight forward. On the two sides are the rock walls that has single smooth pearls placed at a distance from each other. They seemed to emit a dim light. Deep underground, this made people feel as if it was a dream.

The Nine Tribulations Sword spirit in his dantian became more agitated as if it was finally meeting a loved one that it has not seen in a long time.

As the second jade door opened, the icy cold air became colder. If a normal person came to this place, he would have to activate his internal energy to be able to withstand it. However, Naruto did not feel any discomfort. It was quite the opposite. He felt comfortable from head to toe!

Internally, Naruto was fortified like a stone block. Every step was steady, without any hint of hesitation.

The third door!

The fourth door!

Every step Naruto took was even; his breathing was stable. This showed that he continued to maintain his alertness like it was any normal day, and he was not mesmerized by the number one rarity under the heaven that was Nine Tribulations Sword.

The fifth door… opened.

The sixth door!

Naruto did not change even a bit.

Suddenly, there was a sigh from inside him. The mysterious booming voice has once again spoken, "Your personality completely matches with Nine Tribulations Sword! It seems your previous life was full of suffering and killing, polishing you from a rough gemstone into a precious jewel that glitters and shines!"

Naruto's legs did not stop walking. He asked internally, "Who are you? Person or demon?"

It was this same voice that arrogantly said things like "invert fate" and then disappeared. And no matter how Naruto tried, it did not come out again.

But today, under these circumstances, it has unexpected came out of nowhere.

However, when Naruto asked, that voice once again became incognito. A long time passed and it did not answer his question. When Naruto finally pushed open the seventh door that voice said in exhaustion, "I am currently very weak, every word I say is very draining. Naruto, hurry up and get the second Nine Tribulations Sword fragment."

"Second fragment?"

"Yes, second fragment… energy of heaven and earth, heaven's talent and earthly treasure, rare material, etc.… are the things essential to Nine Tribulations Sword… They are also what I need to recover my strength… ", that voice became lower and lower, more and more faint, as if it could dissipate in the air at any moment. "… Help me, I can help you invert this fate…"

The voice disappeared as if it has just used up the last drop of energy.

Currently, Naruto was standing outside the last door, the door in the deepest place – the seventh door.

The inside was empty, but an icy cold air that seemed capable of instantly freezing a person rushed in from all directions. It surrounded Naruto, and not long after formed a layer of white frost.

Nine Tribulations Sword inside the dantian became violently agitated. The cold air was like a boundless tide cascading into Naruto's body. It followed his meridians and poured straight into Nine Tribulations Sword spirit…

For four full hours, Naruto did not even move one bit. The cold air fiercely and continuously flowed into his body.

After four hours like that, the cold air finally weakened. At that moment, Naruto felt his body had recovered its ability to move. He carefully observed his surrounding and took one step toward the left.

His dantian cramped up immediately as if trying to stop him from toward that direction.

He took one step to the right and Nine Tribulations Sword emitted a joyfulness. When he took seven or eight more steps and came next to the rock wall, the Nine Tribulations Sword spirit quieted, but this was the quiet of extreme excitement!

This is the spot!

Naruto looked at the solid wall and thought about how to get the sword point out… It was buried deep within.

At this moment, the Nine Tribulations Sword spirit inside his dantian suddenly surged up with an aggressive impulse. The kind of impulse that was so strong that it made Naruto heart pound almost to the point that it could jump out of his chest.

He gritted his teeth and decided that even if he could not do it, he must!

Naruto turned his arm… With a swoosh, he pulled out his sword. Then he started to activate his internal energy and directed it into the sword. Suddenly, the cold energy that was absorbed by Nine Tribulations Sword spirit inside his dantian poured out into the sword on its own. Within a moment, the ordinary sword became iridescent and transparent and emitted a brilliant light!

Shining its light over the entire cave as if it was daylight!

Swoosh!

Naruto swung the sword on the wall to test it out. He wanted to see how tough it was before deciding on what to do next. But he certainly did not expect that a light swing of the sword would send it into the wall like it was tofu. One swoosh and, with the exception of the hilt, the entire sword was in the wall!

Naruto was extremely happy. Why is it so soft?

He tried to pick at the wall with his hand but, of course, it did not give. Naruto kept trying until the tips of his fingers were hurt and numb before he realized that the unnatural cold energy was this stone wall's weakness!

With the sword full of cold energy, Naruto slashed into the wall and using force, he made a deep cut about three feet across. After that, he made three more cuts creating a rectangle on the wall. Naruto threw his sword aside, and placed his hands on the rectangle he just created. He activated his internal energy and pulled!

With a swish, the few hundred pounds block followed his hands and left the wall. It dropped on the ground.

Without resting, Naruto continually slashed the wall. Blocks after blocks was removed from the wall, lying in a pile on the ground… not too much time passed before he was drenched in sweat!

On the ground, there was now almost a hundred of such blocks.

The sword slashed deep into the wall once more, when suddenly a 'Chink…!' sound emanated out. Nine Tribulations Sword spirit also made a 'Pop…!' and suddenly jumped and spun inside his dantian. It currently had such extreme excitement that seemed to be uncontrollable!

The sword point!

Finally, after pulling out a large block, Naruto's eyes narrowed… Underneath that stone block was the sword point, laying quietly and glowing.

Its length was about that of a palm. It was pointy and sharp. The sides had a silvery white luster, but the rest of it seemed to be covered in a pink metallic sheen. This was the blood radiance, characteristic of weapons made specifically for killing! An ancient, fierce aura surrounded the sword point.

There was no sheath covering and protecting it. Even though the sword point fragment has been lying like that for who knows how many years, it was still shiny. Moreover, the surface has a faint glow surrounding it!

Naruto can only feel his dry lips, and his heart beating like a drum… He immediately regained his composure, then reached out and grabbed the sword point!

The moment the sword point touched his hand, Naruto suddenly raised his eye brows. Sweat started to pour out!

The sword point has been buried for so many years, ordinarily, it should have been cold to the touch. However, when Naruto touched it, he realized it was burning hot. With Naruto's body current full of cold energy, it was a total contrast. Cold and hot were antagonistic; a thick fog started to rise in the stone room. Everything was barely visible!

In addition, an ancient violent aura was suddenly emitted. The sword point in Naruto's hand started to aggressively struggle as if it wanted to cut his hand and fly away!

Naruto activated his internal energy as his whole body vigorously resist! He became extremely annoyed. In the previous life, I was able to get the Nine Tribulations Sword point without any such demonic incident! Why is everything different in this life?

The force of the sword point's struggle became stronger and stronger. Naruto was starting to feel that he could no longer hang on. Finally, the sword point bounced in his hand… Naruto frowned, it made a deep gash in his hand!

At this moment the sword point was ready to fly away. If it had managed this, it was likely that Naruto will not have the ability to find it again in this lifetime!

Just that moment, there was a feeling of rage from Naruto's dantian. The Nine Tribulations Sword spirit seemed to have rushed out. It left the dantian and went into the meridians. In the blink of an eye, it was at Naruto's hand!

Right afterward, a strange ancient force from Naruto's palm suddenly flowed into the point of Nine Tribulations Sword! The sword point that was struggling and trying to break free became docile after contact with this ancient force!

The cold energy on Naruto's body suddenly disappeared. The heat from the sword point was also gone in a flash… Then the point of Nine Tribulations Sword in his hand abruptly radiated brightly with an ancient blood-colored light that shot straight up. And with a swoosh, it disappeared. After that, Naruto started to notice that the sword point slowly calmed down.

After a second, an even stranger event happened!

The sword point that was shining brightly now has mysteriously disappeared in Naruto's hand!

In his dantian, the surreal Nine Tribulation Sword spirit suddenly quivered as the point materialized!

The sword point has returned home!

After another second, Naruto's mind was fogged by ancient thought. It was as if someone was speaking from deep inside him:

"One ray of light can pierce thousands.

Killing all under the heaven, for what?

A sharp will buried deep will not change.

Gather mountains and clouds to rule over all."

There were suddenly these testaments inside Naruto along with a strange feeling. Naruto was unsettled. His thoughts went to carefully evaluating internally.

Naruto abruptly realized that these testaments were verses from the Nine Tribulations Transcending Nine Heavens Technique that he had memorized in his previous life! A mysterious force from the Nine Tribulations Sword point in his dantian shot out. It blended with his bones, meridians, blood, muscles, and entire body…

During a moment of unconsciousness, Naruto martial cultivation suddenly increased. He has just broke through grade one Martial Warrior; he was now grade three Martial Warrior! In addition, it stopped at the peak; he could almost break through. Within moments, he regained his clarity and composure.

At the same time, there suddenly appeared the shape of a martial artist in Naruto's mind. With sword in hand, the shape slowly illustrated the sword stances!

From action to action, the demonstration was smooth as flowing water. Naruto was mesmerized!

These sword stances, he already knew in his previous life. However, he had never managed to truly master them… But now, looking at this, he felt as if there was a supernatural force helping him to understand the my hidden mysteries that had eluded him before.

With his previous lifetime, Naruto also got the energy and the testaments just like this time. But… the feeling that he got from this lifetime was completely different!

In his previous life, no matter how hard he tried, it did not feel exactly right. Regardless of what he did, he could not truly comprehend it… It was as if there was a thin veil that he could not pierce. Currently, Naruto could understand all the teachings easily! Every meticulous detail and every little advancement was like a clear stream flowing slowly through him. Transparent and articulate!

This was with Nine Tribulations Sword spirit's support! A privilege given to the true owner of Nine Tribulations Sword!

Naruto closed his eyes and sank deep into this strange state…

However, he did not know that the moment the point of the Nine Tribulations Sword advanced into his dantian and the four testaments arose in his mind, a colorless light shot from the center of Beyond the Heavens Sect's Gathering Clouds Peak straight into the sky… Afterward, there was a great commotion.

Suddenly, dark clouds started to gather on the whole firmament of the Lower Three Heavens. In the blink of an eye, the sky was completely covered!

The whole continent fell into darkness! One could not even see what was in front of them!

It was morning, only a little over two hours before noon! However, it was pitch black!

The whole continent was terrified!

Great Sky Nation, the prime minister's mansion.

From the outside, this minister's mansion looked extremely ordinary, as if it belonged to some low ranking official. The area was not too big, and the décor was plain. The guards did not seem too prestigious either!

However, this was the resident of the one and only talented Shinno!

At the moment the sky turned black, there was chaos in all four directions. But in the prime minister's mansion all was quiet, as if there was nothing extraordinary happening.

It was morning and this event was unpredictable, but the people here seemed as if they were already prepared.

All lights were lit.

In the library, a scholar a little over thirty years old sat neatly. His simple clothing was elegant. His handsome face was graceful. His gaze was profound and powerful like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea… It seemed as if he could look down at the thousands of things that happened in life and not miss anything.

The moment the sky turned black, this person seemed to have already perceived something. He immediately stood up, went to the window, and quietly looked up at the sky.

Despite the sky suddenly turning black, that scholar remained standing motionless by the window with his hands clasped. It was not until a servant tiptoed in to light a candle and the lights all over the manor was lit, that he frowned and went back to his desk. His eyes seemed to be staring into a void, as he thought about something.

"Prime minister, Official Gengo is requesting an audience with you." Without a sound, a man appeared out of nowhere and reported ceremoniously.

"Gengo? Let him in." This scholar was the number one official, under one but above millions, of Great Sky Nation – Shinno!

Within moments, a tall and lean man walked in.

"Prime minister is well."

"Have a seat." Shinno gently waved his arm, looking intensely at the flickering candle light on the table. He said quietly, "What brought Official Gengo here?"

"It is because of none other than the strange phenomenon that I came." Gengo's build was tall, with large hands like fans. His face was thin with prominent, high cheekbones. His eyes were sharp like that of hawks! Anyone who looked at his eyes would immediately think of the scavenging vultures in the deserts.

This person was the most powerful official in Great Sky Nation's military!

In coming here, Gengo has represented both the scholarly and military officials of Great Sky nation!

In a typical royal court, the leaders of two sides would be like water and fire, incapable of coexisting. However, here was the total opposite. In terms of age, Gengo was older than Shinno, but Shinno was the person Gengo respected most!

"Strange phenomenon? Yes, it was definitely a strange phenomenon!" The appeared a trace of worry on Shinno's graceful face as he uttered softly. After finishing, his eyes dropped a little as if mulling over something. He drummed the desk with his fingers making soft tapping sounds.

The whole study was quiet. Gengo sat erect facing Shinno. He remained quiet, not daring to disturb Shinno's thoughts.

A long time passed by. The black clouds slowly dispersed and the sky became bright again.

Shinno clasped his hands and stood up. He slowly walked toward the window. He looked up and muttered, "One hour! The black clouds gathered and the sky became dark. Heaven and earth became mixed up. Just now, it seemed like heaven and earth opened up. About one hour. Such a strange phenomenon is truly rare in history."

"Prime Minister, is some major event about to happen?" Gengo's face paled.

Shinno looked up at the sky. A flash of fear appeared in his eyes and immediately disappeared. Sitting behind him, Gengo did not catch this.

Shinno slowly turned around and said with a smile, "Nothing. It is not clear why heaven and earth became mixed up. Fate has become chaotic. All of the future can no longer be predicted!"

"Even with your astrology skill, you still cannot see the future?" Gengo suddenly stood up, his eyes revealing a look of anxiety.

"Regardless of anything that might happen, Great Sky's destiny to unite all under the heaven was already extremely clear!" Even though Shinno's voice was soft, it was confident. With certainty, he said, "Everything will proceed as we had planned." He momentarily paused and then lightly added, "Speed it up!"

"Yes!" Even though Shinno voice sounded normal, its sharp aura made Gengo feel completely reassured. It was as if only Shinno's words were needed to make the sky falling down seem like a small matter!

"You should go then!" Shinno smiled warmly.

"Yes, I will leave now." Gengo stood up, turned around and walked out.

Looking at his silhouette disappearing, Shinno's smiling face suddenly became suspicious and mysterious. He muttered, "How could this be? The signs were bright like the noon sun. How could this one event of heaven and earth becoming mixed up have given the enemy a chance to live?"

Shinno leisurely paced around the study. After a long while, he suddenly formed a fist with his left arm and placed it in front of his chest. His eyes became fierce, "The candle is almost extinguished in the wind, what's another little spark! Under Shinno's hand, how could you form a big fire?!"

His gaze narrowed as if he just came to some sort of decision. He raised his brow and yelled, "Come!"

With just that simple phrase, it was awe-inspiring!

In Iron Cloud nation, the heaven-sent Haku also was deep in contemplations as he looked at the sky. His face carried a serious look unsuited to his age.

"Chaos, everything is in chaos!" Haku muttered. He shook his head and could not help but smiled, "This chess game under the heavens, Shinno, Shinno… can you still grasp the situation now?"

When he said this, Haku's usually serious face unexpectedly seemed a little playful, even, for a moment, charming.

Not only was the Lower Three Heavens, but the sky of Middle Three Heavens and Upper Three Heavens at the same time also became dark! In fact, even in distant places of legends also showed signs…

In a wild place of ice, when the sky started growing dark, a pillar of enormous energy suddenly shot down from above. It dispersed the black clouds from a large area and hit a large iceberg causing it to burst… A black shadow shot straight into the sky. Then it looked around in all four directions. Then as if it had determined that what it had been waiting for has appeared, it suddenly lifted its head and laughed.

"The time for our saintly family to born again has come!" He shouted. Suddenly, he kneeled on the ice, looked up at the sky, and said with tearful eyes, "Nine Tribulations seems like nothing; invert heaven; then the sky will shine; the saintly family will rise! Heaven, oh, heaven. This curse has bound us for a few thousand years… A few thousand years!"

In the mournful cold wind, his voice echoed and lingered in this place of ice and emptiness for a long time. His everlasting desolation, after being relieved of such a heavy burden, were clear as the wind and ice.

"Children! Let's play an earth-shattering game with this Nine Heavens! Hahaha… " The black shadow's roar sounded like thunder!

Sounds of cheer rose up from all directions.

At that time, the dominant families of Upper Three Heavens and Middle Three Heavens were having secret meetings. However, their topics were all one – The strange phenomenon.

"The world is about to change. The youths of our family should use this opportunity to enter Jiang Hu to cultivate. If not, our family would be endangered by these changes and collapse."

"Nine Tribulations has appeared; the clouds danced… thousands of tribulations gone; thousands of stars cried in anguish; the world changed; people's lives are like nothing…This was heaven's decree. Outstanding youths must immediately enter Jiang Hu."

"In this journey of cultivation in Jiang Hu, you must use all your ability to beat the descendants of other families! No matter what tactics you use, you must beat them! You must remember this! The world is about to go through a big change. At this time fate will have a big effect on the rise and fall of all the dominant families. You youths are the representative of our family's destiny!"

At each meeting, these words were carefully instructed to the descendants of each family.

Of course, there was also another extremely important point. These words were repeatedly told to every youths in each family, "Find the owner of Nine Tribulations Sword. If you could be friends, then use everything to support this person! If you can only be enemies, then destroy him at all costs!"

The world was in shock. All plans and decisions were made and finalized within an hour!

Naruto was still currently underground. He did not know that Nine Tribulations Sword's appearance has caused the whole world to change. He especially did not know that, because of this, the fate of many powerful people have been change!

All these things absolutely did not happened in the previous life.

Naruto placed the blocks back to the wall and turned to jade door to exit. When he walked past the door the stone room was filled with icy cold air… At a glance, there was no difference.

However, Naruto knew it was different. Even though it was still the Nine Shades Congregation Grounds, it was now missing the aura of the Nine Tribulations Sword!

Within the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds, there was an artifact of an extremely cold characteristic buried underground… In his previous life, it was not until he reached the Upper Three Heavens that Naruto accidentally discovered this secret.

Now that Naruto had obtained the Nine Tribulations Sword point fragment, he had no intentions whatsoever towards the artifact that created the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds.

Let Beyond the Heavens Sect keep this power source.

Besides, this time Naruto had absorbed the cold energy that Seven Shades Congregation Grounds had stored up for many decades! Even though the Nine Tribulations Sword has taken it all up, Naruto could use it at will with his own power. There was no difference.

This was the benefit for the owner of the Nine Tribulations Sword!

Of course, if Beyond the Heavens Sect could not avoid destruction in the future, then Naruto would come and obtain the unknown artifact that created the Seven Shades Congregation Grounds. No matter what, he would not let it fall into the hands of others!

After stepping outside, Naruto could not help but be astonished.

Kakashi was still his cold self, standing there, but… The Sect Master had become a masked man? Plus, he was really well-covered, only his eyes can be seen… It seemed the Sect Master's eyes had become a little smaller; they looked like two small slits…

When Naruto appeared, Kakashi and Hiruzen Sarutobi turned to look at the same time. With one glance the two simultaneous felt very puzzled… This Naruto and the Naruto from before going into Seven Shades Congregation Grounds were definitely not the same. However, where that difference was, they could not tell. The feeling was surreal…

At the same time, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt that Naruto was curiously checking him out; his face could not help but became red.

"How was it?" The two asked in simultaneously.

Naruto was in there for six hours, making the two feel alarmed!

Normally, other generations of disciples would enter Seven Shades Congregation Grounds and stay no more than one hour before exiting. Otherwise, the extreme cold energy would freeze them to death! And when they got out, their whole body would be shaking and covered in white frost, looking half alive and half dead.

Unexpectedly, Naruto was in there for six hours. Plus, he walked out comfortably!

The two looked at Naruto as if they had just encountered a demon in broad daylight.

Naruto was confused when he saw that his master and elder martial uncle were staring at him to the point where their eyeballs were about to pop out. He could not help but felt his own face with his hand. If there was a mirror there, Naruto would have immediately grabbed it and see if a flower has grown on his face.

The two gazes were very weird.

Naturally, Naruto did not know what it was like when people entered Seven Shades Congregation Grounds for the first time…

"Is there something wrong?"

"Is there anything wrong with you?" The two asked in unison.

"No, nothing at all." Naruto became even more frustrated.

The two looked at each other. Naruto could clearly see the two tiny eyes of Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly became big and round!

"Ack! Ack! Ack!… What your elder martial uncle meant was… How is your Seven Shades Absolute Saint Palm?" Kakashi asked coolly, after a few dry coughs.

"I still haven't tried it, but I did managed to absorb quite a bit of cold energy." Caught by surprised, Naruto answered, "Let me try it out."

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakashi went silent: What did you go in there for…?

Naruto activated his internal energy and pulled on the cold energy stored by Nine Tribulations Sword in his dantian. The stone cave immediately became as cold as a harsh winter day. When his right arm stretched out it became like a silvery ice pole.

With one palm, icy air immediately poured out!

Naruto only used three percent!

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Kakashi stared in shock!

This… how could this be? This is level five of Seven Shades Absolute Saint Palm! This… this is really unimaginable! When he was using Seven Shades Absolute Saint Palm the other day, he was clearly not even level one!

However, with this powerful cold energy, he seems to be at level five! This is the level of a master who cultivated for decades!

If they realized that Naruto only used three percent of the cold energy, what would they think?

The two rubbed their eyes simultaneously. Kakashi was shocked by his disciple, and quietly pinched Hiruzen Sarutobi's thigh.

Hiruzen Sarutobi screamed in pain. It was a spot that was bruised earlier. Now that it was pinched, the pain was unbearable. He jumped holding his leg.

"So it is not a dream." Kakashi laughed. He was extremely happy with his disciple's great accomplishment.

"You!…" Hiruzen Sarutobi looked angrily at Kakashi, "You don't have your own legs?"

"I do." Kakashi answered casually, "I just wanted to see if everything was real."

"But you pinched my thigh!" Hiruzen Sarutobi yelled in anger.

"Us two martial brothers are so close. Pinching you or pinching me, what is the difference?" Kakashi let out a hearty laugh and walked forward. He patted Naruto on the shoulder and praised, "Not bad! You have made your master's face grow bigger!"

Kakashi has always been aloof; it was abnormal to see him joking around in such good spirit. However, in this moment, he was so happy he could not control his emotions. Even though Hiruzen Sarutobi was acting angry, he was extremely happy to see his junior martial brother as he was when he first entered the sect. The same lively person was standing next to him… Hiruzen Sarutobi also could not help but laugh out loud.

"Since you were able to absorb so much cold energy like that, I feel a little better about letting you go out there on your own." Kakashi smiled at Naruto, "When you get to Iron Cloud you should still be very careful and remain low-keyed. You absolutely cannot be over-confident and get involved in the business of others. Especially, not the 'hero saving beauty' kind of thing… if you could avoid it, then don't do it! You should know that beauty is the source of disaster!"

Naruto solemnly agreed.

Kakashi's words were indeed valuable. The hero saves the beauty and the beauty repays the hero with special favors was what young men in Jiang Hu searched for. However, this was also how many martial artists got killed.

Anyone that could bully a beauty in public would be a powerful character… if not himself, then his family would be powerful. Provoking such a person without anyone powerful backing you up, then it would be either death or exile in some distant land…

Naruto thought to himself, if I were still naïve like those overconfident boys and idiotically got involved in other people's business… that would be a strange phenomenon.

"I still don't understand how you could have absorbed so much cold energy like that!" Hiruzen Sarutobi jumped in. His swollen eyes have now opened wide as he inspected Naruto, "You are only a Martial Warrior… Hack! Martial Warrior?"

Naruto asked innocently with his eyes opened wide, "What is the matter?"

Sect Master Hiruzen Sarutobi was confounded. His eyes opened so wide, his eyeballs almost fell to the floor… He clearly remembered that a few days ago Naruto was only a third grade Martial Pupil… How would he have become a Martial Warrior in a few days?

This youth, how could there be so many strange phenomena surrounding him?

Moreover, if a first grade Martial Warrior absorbed that much cold energy, his meridians would have frozen and shattered to piece. How could he stand there so casually as if it was nothing?

After staring at Naruto's innocent face for a long time, Hiruzen Sarutobi rolled his eyes and gave up, "Fine, I will not ask anymore. I just hope you can continue your act and get into Iron Cloud. That would be good."

"This disciple will not fail you." Naruto smiled sweetly. His face was full of kindness, honesty, and innocence.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was at a loss of words. He looked at the kind and honest face for a while, gritted his teeth and said, "Whoever believe in this face of yours would be an idiot! If they believe in those 'honest' words… surely they would have been sold many times over."

Kakashi laughed.

After bidding farewell to Hiruzen Sarutobi, Kakashi remained silent on the way back to Purple Bamboo Garden.

Even though Naruto knew that Kakashi was worried about him, he did not know how to deal with it. He wanted to tell his teacher something, but he felt that no matter what he said, he would not be able to dispel Kakashi's fears. Therefore, Naruto remained silent as well.

As teacher and student walked through the gate of Purple Bamboo Garden, they heard Rock Lee's ear-piercing screams, "Don't escape! If you keep trying to escape, I will make soup out of you."

The two were stunned. They immediately ran in to see Rock Lee bending down by the pond with water splashing everywhere. Afterward, he suddenly cheered with satisfaction as he jumped up holding a fish over his head. He was overjoyed.

Kakashi was shocked, and suddenly ran forward.

Naruto was also amazed! He could not believe that Rock Lee was able to catch such a valuable thing!

This was a strange fish. Its whole body was black without any scales. Its head was completely round without any eyes. It was a kind of fish without sight! The fish was not all that big, no more than half a pound in weight.

"Rock Lee, drop it." Kakashi screamed, "You absolutely cannot kill it!"

Rock Lee's face was full of confusion as he turned around. When he saw the person screaming was Kakashi, he exclaimed excitedly, "Master, Naruto, look, look… I just caught a really strange fish."

Rock Lee was still showing off when the fish sudden twisted violently and jumped from his hand. It drew a beautiful arch in the air as it was falling back into the pond.

Kakashi's reaction was incredibly fast as he jumped and caught the fish in mid-air. After that, he immediately did a spin and landed back on the ground. Without a pause, there was a bucket in Kakashi's hand. He filled the bucket with water from the pond and placed the fish in it.

When everything was done, he splashed water on his face and gave Rock Lee the bucket. He said with a smile, "Put this in your room and take care of it carefully. This fish is extremely precious. You must never let it die."

Puzzled, Rock Lee said, "Master, what kind of fish is this? It's so small… not even enough for soup."

"Soup?! You only think about food!" Kakashi was annoyed and amused at the same time. He hit Rock Lee on the head and scolded, "This is a priceless treasure! Isn't it wasteful to just eat it?"

"Priceless treasure?" Rock Lee started to understand somewhat and looked at the fish curiously. Looking left and right, it was still just a fish. Even though its appearance was a little weird, it was still just a fish…

"This is the Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish." Naruto yelled out as he knelt down and looked at the looked at the fish carefully. "I really can't believe… Rock Lee was able to find such a treasure! Such good luck."

"Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish?"

Naruto gently replied, "Yes, Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish. According to ancient stories it was the Heavenly Three Star Clan's treasure. Before the fish matures, eating it will have no special effect. However, if you take care of this fish in your room it could gather the energy of heaven and earth all around it! This will help you multiply the effectiveness of your cultivation! This fish is a treasure that martial artists can only dream of!"

"Exactly, moreover, the best thing about this fish is when it is near, the energy gathered around it is extremely pure. This is its most valuable characteristic. This fish is the stuff of legends. For many years, no one has seen it; its description can only be found in books. Rock Lee, how did you find it?" Kakashi asked in surprise.

"It was just now. I went out to get some water from the pond when the sky suddenly darkened. I could not see anything at all. I was too scared to move so I just stayed still next to the edge of the pond. After about an hour, it started brighten. That was when I notice at a muddy area on the water's edge was moving as if something was trying to get out… I watched it carefully…" Rock Lee shrugged, "Afterward, I saw the fish came out from the mud… I was curious about its strange appearance, so I grabbed it."

"The sky suddenly became dark?" Kakashi frowned… When the strange phenomenon happened, he and Hiruzen Sarutobi was still underground so he did not know. Hearing this from Rock Lee, he found the whole thing really odd.

"The sky became dark for an hour? After that, the fish came out from the mud?" Kakashi looked up at the sky. There was a flash of worry, "All things relating to the Divine Clan have not appeared in this world for a very long time. Why did the Divine Chakra Gathering Fish suddenly appeared? And why did the sky suddenly become dark when it was morning?"

"Perhaps, there is going a big change?" Kakashi thought for a while and finally gave up. But judging from his pinched brows, another worry had been added to his mind.

Naruto was also confused. He did not know that the moment he obtained the Nine Tribulations Sword Tip, this monumental phenomenon happened.

"Rock Lee, since you found the fish, you should keep it in your room." Kakashi had recovered his usual unaffected attitude.

"Yes, master. Naruto and I share the same room so we can both benefit from this, ha ha." Rock Lee was really excited.

"Starting from today, you and Naruto will stay in separate rooms!" Kakashi said with a somber face.

"Why?" Rock Lee asked disappointedly.

"There are no issues. Naruto just has something important to take care of."

"Then… then we should put the fish in Naruto's room." Rock Lee pleaded with extreme sadness, "Even though I really need it, but Naruto is about to leave on a dangerous mission, he needs it more than me. Even if it will help him just a little, it would still be good. Even better, when Naruto leaves, he should take it with him so he can absorb energy from heaven and earth whenever he needs."

Naruto was touched. He turned around and looked at Rock Lee. A warm emotion surged up inside him. But he did not say anything for a long time.

Kakashi already clearly explained what made the Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish so special. Even though Rock Lee can be simple at times, he was not dumb. He was not unclear on the matter. However, with a treasure like that and he adamantly wanted to give it away… he didn't even blink!

This was something he wanted, but he still wanted to give it to me!

"Why?" Kakashi asked, his eyes full of admiration.

"I will be staying with you so there's no danger at all." Rock Lee said seriously, "Naruto needs it more than I do."

"Silly boy." Kakashi raised his hand and patted Rock Lee's head as he spoke, "If you want to help Naruto, you must first increase your own strength. That way, when he does need you, you can give him your greatest efforts. Naruto will be out and about; bringing this fish will only lead to danger. Do you understand?"

Rock Lee's mouth opened wide. He stuttered, "Then… then… then I will keep it here." Looking somewhat embarrassed, he turned to Naruto to explain, "Naruto, I… I am not stingy with you but this… is…"

"I understand." Naruto squeezed his shoulders and said sincerely, "You're a good brother!"

"Rock Lee, how did you know that I was leaving?" Naruto asked.

"These past few days, you have been preparing. You didn't say anything to me… I am not stupid… we grew up together… whenever you don't tell me about something, it usually is dangerous." Rock Lee huffed, "Plus, these days, master clearly tried to be as close as possible to you. If I still don't know what's going on, I would be an idiot."

Naruto laughed.

With another huff, Rock Lee suddenly said sincerely, "Naruto, I don't know where you are going. But I will definitely work hard to cultivate and help you in the future."

"Good! I will wait for you. At that time, you and I will fight side by side to change this world!" Naruto was filled with pride and let out a loud shout… He felt a surge of triumph.

With such a good martial brother, how could I not work hard? This time, inverting fate will also change Rock Lee's fate!

A martial brother like this, how could I let him die?!

For three straight days after, Kakashi put all his efforts into training Naruto. The two were essentially living in the same room for those three days. During this period, anything that Kakashi could think of, he immediately taught it to Naruto. Without any rest, he jammed into Naruto's head all of his experience in Jiang Hu, as well as all his tricks and tactics.

Even though Naruto already knew most of these things, he enjoyed his teacher's attention and care. He listened to Kakashi's words earnestly… taking in all of the warmth in this short time period.

Naruto never had the chance to enjoy such warm feelings from his teacher in his previous life. Therefore he did not want to miss anything. He knew that if he brushed off Kakashi's words, then he would not say anything, but on the inside, Kakashi would be annoyed.

Naruto did not want to make his teacher unhappy.

Three days passed by in an instant.

On the last day, Naruto stepped out of his door, quietly watching the early morning mist lingering. He took in a deep breath, feeling full of nostalgia. Today was the day he must leave this place!

With this journey, I don't know when I will be back… I don't even know if I can come back.

There was a heavy rain last night and the entirety of Purple Bamboo Garden had been washed. The whole atmosphere was crisp and clean.

Since early in the morning, Kakashi had left to pick some herbs in the mountain. Naruto knew his teacher was using it as an excuse to avoid the inevitable goodbye.

Suddenly, there was a terrified scream from the toilet, followed by Rock Lee running out… He was covered with a strong stench, and his whole body was filthy beyond words.

Naruto could not help but be surprised. Why was Rock Lee holding the Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish in his hand?

Rock Lee's face was sad and shameful as he ran pass Naruto. He did not even look at Naruto as he ran into his room and plopped the Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish into the bucket.

In the blink of an eye, a naked Rock Lee ran out. With a wooden bucket, he continually poured water all over his body. It took a few buckets before the stench started to wear off a little.

Just now, Naruto was feeling sentimental about leaving, but this junior martial brother had made him utterly confused. This crazy guy, what is he doing? Did he just fall into the latrine so early in the morning?

Rock Lee finally cleaned up, and in a flash, ran into his room. At the speed of light, he rolled up the dirty clothes and tossed it out.

Afterward, Rock Lee came out with a funny looking smile on his face. His face was wrinkled like a bitter gourd, as he let out a long sigh.

"What happened?" Naruto squinted his eyes.

"Ah, don't ask." Rock Lee cried as he answered.

Since he got the Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish, Rock Lee treated it like a treasure. He put it in a corner of his room and carefully took care of it. Every now and then, he would feed it some food such as water plants and so on… However, yesterday, the fish floated with its white belly up in the bucket.

Rock Lee kept touching it but the fish did not react at all… It continued to float belly-up in the bucket without any signs of life.

When Rock Lee picked it up this morning, he discovered that the Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish has become stiff. With a sad sigh, he held the fish and cried. Unexpectedly, he had the urge to go to the bathroom, so he ran with the fish still in hand. He thought since the fish was dead, he might as well just toss it into the latrine.

However, after he tossed it in, an unbelievable thing happened. That fiendish fish suddenly came to life and tried to escape with full vigor.

Inevitably, Rock Lee had to jump in to catch the fish. Even worse… last night's heavy rain has made the latrine more full so Rock Lee had to take a swim in the toilet…

"Hahahaha…" After hearing his story, Naruto was clutching his stomach, laughing.

Even in his dreams, he could never imagine his junior martial brother could do such an amusing thing.

Rock Lee sighed. With a tragic countenance, he said bitterly, "How would I know that fiendish fish could act dead like that? It was living nicely in the bucket and then it just turned stiff. When I tossed it in the latrine, it became lively again. Does it have to live in stinky places?

Naruto rubbed his stomach. With tears all over his face, he said, "You are such a fool. Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish absorbs the energy from heaven and earth. Once it is done, it become immobilized as it digest that energy. It does this before absorbing more. During this time of digestion, martial artists will also make use of some of the energy it absorbed for their cultivation! And you… you threw it in the latrine!"

"Ah!" Rock Lee's mouth opened wide, "Why didn't you say it earlier?"

"You're a fool." Naruto said, "The Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish can still live if it was buried underground. Why would it die if it was living in a bucket of water? Use your thick head and think! Plus… it lives on the energy of heaven and earth, feeding it will do nothing! You tossed it in the latrines… You are really something. If others hear about you tossing a precious Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish into the latrines, all the martial artists would probably come and fight to the death with you!"

Rock Lee sighed and said, "I am already paying for it… My clothes is gone, and my hands…"

He raised his hands up to his nose and sniffed. The he immediately looked like he was going to retch, "I need my hands to eat… What to do now?"

"You deserve it!" Naruto teased. He could not help but laughed.

Naruto went into the room and looked at the fish. The poor Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish was madly swimming back and forth, and every now and then, it jumped up. At the same time, it was spitting a lot of waste material. It seemed that the fish has suffered greatly…

"Hurry up and change the water!" Naruto yelled.

Rock Lee quickly did so. After seven or eight times, the Heavenly Chakra Gathering Fish calmed down once again. It laid at the bottom with its belly puffing, clearly full of anguish…

It seemed that it needed a little more rest.

Naruto could not believe that he would be laughing to tears upon his departure. It was not until he was a long distance off when he heard the scratchy voice of Rock Lee yelling after him, "Naruto, take care! I will come and find you! I will help you!"

In that voice, the final sentences were also choked with sadness.

Naruto paused for a second. Without turning around he waved his arm. He turned a corner and disappeared from Rock Lee's sight.

"You must not die!" Rock Lee yelled loudly. Along with that came a torrential downpour of tears. He fell to ground sobbing like a child who just lost his family.

He did not know what Naruto was doing, but he was aware of the danger involved! Otherwise, their master would not have acted the way he did.

Rock Lee was very worried and sad at the same time.

Naruto heart was suffering a little as well, but he forced himself not to turn around. And just like that, he went further and further, step by step.

In a distance on a mountain peak, Kakashi's whole body was bathed in morning's light. His eyes squinted as concentrated on his disciple's departing steps. He did not even noticed that his hands had formed into tight fists.

In his right hand, there was a piece of paper. On it were words written by Naruto, "With Fleeting Snow Cloud Movement Technique, you need to bend your body down to reverse your internal flow. Then cultivate from the last step… You can only be successful if you cultivate in reverse."

Naruto's figure fluttered along the mountain path. On his back, there was only a small travel bag.

Leaving Beyond the Heavens Sect all by himself, he was alone on a journey to face an uncertain fate. Naruto suddenly became a little melancholy.

At that moment, his heart remembered these verses, "On this road, there is no fear of mountains of blades and oceans of fire… On this road, Jiang Hu has nine chance of death and one chance of life… On this road, we laugh at all under the heavens… On this road, straight to the Nine Heavens without turning back."

These words were from a very popular song from the previous life, called "The Road of Jiang Hu"… Hinata used to play music and sing this song; that was why Naruto had a deep impression of it.

Thinking about it again, Naruto could not help but smiled. He muttered, "On this road, don't mind the heavens but fight it… On this road, let life escape fate… On this road, I will hold Hinata's hand and laugh at life… On this road, I will certainly overturn the Nine Heavens!"

And like that he softly sung the lyrics he just created in addition to the song as walked out of the territory of Beyond the Heavens Sect, leaving the Nine Peaks, One Garden.

He did not even look back.


	12. Chapter 12

The rays of early morning light shined on Naruto, stretching his shadow really far… in the middle of the foggy wilderness, his silhouette appeared like out of thin air, upon him there was an aura of shining crimson blood-red light…

As if it was a manifestation of something…

On the main road, there was a slowly moving horse drawn carriage. In the front and back, there were eight icy-faced riders protecting it. The carriage's driver was an older gentlemen with peppered hair. With whip in hand, his eyes looked ahead with an indifferent expression. With each crack of the whip, the horses neighed and the carriage move forward leaving a trail of dust behind.

Inside the carriage was an old man who was frowning as if he was thinking about something.

This old man was praised as the world's top divine doctor of the time – Heaven Canceller. This time, he was going from Great Sky Nation into Iron Cloud Nation!

"Senior Heaven Canceller, in this trip to Iron Cloud Nation, you have only a single mission. It is to use all of your saintly skills to help the emperor of Iron Cloud nation live a little bit longer. You must not let him die too early!"

These words were solemnly said to him by Prime Minister Shinno, himself.

Heaven Canceller already clearly understood why the emperor of Iron Cloud had to live a little longer. Currently, Iron Cloud was managed by the prince, but the prince was not the emperor. There were some things he still cannot legitimately carry out.

As long as the emperor stretches out his last dying breath, Iron Cloud Nation would never be fortified! Even if Haku was overflowed with talent, he would not dare kill his dad and usurp the throne of Iron Cloud. Therefore he would not be able to change the current state of Iron Cloud.

If Rahyo can live for another month then Great Sky Nation would have another month to prepare! It would be best if the old emperor kept his dying breath until everything was ready! When war breaks out, the prince of Iron Cloud Nation would not have full power and all the weaknesses would be left exposed.

However, this task was extremely difficult!

And only Heaven Canceller would know how difficult it was.

Heaven Canceller smiled sadly and then sighed. Years ago when Rahyo was still a young man, he went into the battlefield against Great Sky Nation. At the time, Shinno was only a cabinet member with the responsibility of watching over the military. Yet he has the guts to use gold and silver to hire the best archer to kill Rahyo.

In the chaos of the battlefield, Rahyo was shot by an arrow! Even worse, that arrow was covered in an extremely strong poison!

Rahyo was blocked by one of his guards. The arrow pierced through the guard's chest and went into Rahyo's body so it potency was weakened. Even so, this poison almost took Rahyo's life.

It was Shinno who once again used money to buy Heaven Canceller's service for the nation. This service was healing Rahyo's wound. In his whole life, Heaven Canceller finally did the one unethical thing: healing Rahyo's wound, but secretly poisoning him with something of a more chronic nature, one without a cure.

As poison slowly ate away Rahyo's body, Great Sky also gradually ate away Iron Cloud Nation all these years.

Make him sick, but don't let him die. Even though, Iron Cloud could have been taken over, but he did not do it! These past years, Shinno used the conflict with Iron Cloud to repeatedly achieve merits for himself. He never ceased to increase his reputation. He never ceased to gain more power. Even within the military, Shinno's achievements shined brightest. And now, he was below only one and ruled over all.

He always achieved merits in battle with Iron Cloud Nation but he kept Iron Cloud alive with just enough force to fight back! Shinno had turned Iron Cloud into a gold mine for his meritorious achievements. It was not until now that he had started his plan to completely take over Iron Cloud nation because he was at the peak of power! With Shinno's current influence, even the emperor of Great Sky cannot do anything to him.

Shinno was one of those people that used tactics and plots to the point of perfection!

At this point, Rahyo's body was beyond saving. The only thing that could be done now was to stretch out his dying breath. If it was not for the extremely talented prince, then Iron Cloud would easily become part of Great Sky nation!

"I was the key that started this, and now I am the person to end it!"

Heaven Canceller sighed sadly!

The road ahead was long…

Naruto stood alone on the mountain. Using the thick forest to cover his body, he quietly watched the riders from a distance.

He rubbed his palms gently. Between them was a piece of paper with the following words, "Iron Cloud hired the world's top divine doctor, Heaven Canceller, to come to Iron Cloud Citadel. Nine days from now, they will pass by Evil Tiger Ridge!"

The paper turned shreds and disintegrated in thin air!

Without a pause, he shot through the trees and flew down the mountain.

This was a strategy he has planned ahead! Heaven Canceller was a major key in it!

If he wanted to go into Iron Cloud to invert fate, he cannot simply just do so. After arriving there, he has to become valuable to others. More importantly, they would have to trust him. With this trust, he would be able grasp control!

How to achieve all these things in a short period of time? At the slowest, I will have to do in two years' time what a normal person would do in a lifetime!

Naruto's mission cannot be considered easy! But he cannot turn around!

Heaven Canceller was Naruto's first move!

"Whoa, whoa…"

The horses neighed and came to a stop. Before the carriage was a youth dressed in black. His handsome face was calm with a mix of excitement. His burning gaze was directed at the carriage.

"Who are you?!" The eight guards stopped their horses simultaneously. Three swords and five sabers also came out of their sheaths at the same time.

"Is the person in the carriage the world's top doctor, the one people called Compassionate Saint Heaven Canceller, elder Du?"

The black outfitted youth's eyes were full of excitement as well as gratitude and reverence as he tried to look inside the carriage. It was as if he did not pay any attention to the glistening swords and sabers that were surrounding him!

"Who are you?" The leader asked as he looked at the youth with a gaze as sharp as that of a falcon, remaining ever vigilante! At the same time, the other guards pointed their weapons in the direction of the youth as they quietly spread out in four directions around the carriage.

"Is it?" The youth took a step forward, showing great urgency!

"That is none of your business. Back off now!" The leader said coldly. He did not think that this youth has any malicious intents, but this trip was extremely important, he could not be too careful.

"If it is indeed Senior Heaven Canceller, please come out and meet me!" The youth did not concede.

"Foolish!" There sabers, white as snow, slashed toward him.

The youth in black acted as if he was momentarily surprised, and then he suddenly showed signs of anger. His body quickly swerved left and right to avoid the sabers. The sabers were everywhere but he continued to move safely between them. All of a sudden, his hands became like claws and went forward.

One of the sabers fell to the ground. The leader felt his wrist go numb. With his saber almost fallen to the ground as well, he could not help but be surprised. He dismounted and yelled, "Into formation against the enemy!"

The other seven guards dismounted at once and went into battle formation. The weapons seemed as if they have awoken.

"Wait a minute!" Heaven Canceller yelled from inside the carriage. Immediately after, he calmly said, "Young master, I am Heaven Canceller. Why do you wish to see me?"

When he was done talking, he lifted the curtain and revealed himself.

"Senior Heaven Canceller, be careful! This person is of unknown origin and has unclear intentions." Two guards immediately raised their swords and covered the front of the carriage. They were ready for combat.

"Sure enough, it is divine doctor Heaven Canceller!" The black-outfitted youth's face flushed with excitement. Without heeding the swords and sabers in front him, he slowly walked forward with his eyes focused on Heaven Canceller.

After two steps, this youth came into contact with the leader's saber. The latter had no intention of pulling back and continued to press his saber forward.

The youth felt the tingling pain of the saber's stab, and looked down. He smiled in embarrassment and suddenly bowed down in front of Heaven Canceller.

His strange action surprised everyone.

"Senior Heaven Canceller, do you remember when you went by here eight years ago? There was war between the two countries at the time and all was in chaos. You benevolently saved a mountain couple. Do you remember?

"Ah…" Heaven Canceller frowned as he try to think. In his life, he has saved millions. How could he remember everyone? However, he clearly remembered that he really did come by here eight years ago.

Heaven Canceller was going to treat the emperor of Iron Cloud nation; Rahyo was in his most dire time.

"Senior Heaven Canceller, not only did you save my father's life, you saw that they were poor and did not take one penny. And even more, you gave them a tael of silver before you left! My family has never forgotten your great kindness!"

When the black-outfitted youth saw that Heaven Canceller was still contemplating, his face lit up and his voice became even more excited, "At the time, my parents were not well off, our family's living situation was grim. We depended entirely on the tael of silver Senior Heaven Canceller gave us to keep going. To my family, Senior Heaven Canceller's kindness was as great as heaven and earth.

"I see." Heaven Canceller seemed to vaguely remember a few events like that, but his memory was foggy and he has no deep impression of any of it. It would seem that he only remembered because the other reminded him. He has treated countless people in his lifetime, even if such a thing was in his memory, it would probably be blurred.

However, this type of highway gratitude was indeed rare; at the least, it would make anyone feel very happy.

"Yes, my late father reminded me about this matter many times. He said that when I grew up, I must find Senior Heaven Canceller and repay this kindness. Before my father passed away, he lamented over that fact that he could not repay Senior Heaven Canceller's kindness…"

The black-outfitted youth said in tears, "Thank the heavens, I have finally found Senior Heaven Canceller. Moreover, you have agreed to see me so I could show my gratitude… My late father, in heaven, would certainly be happy to know this."

He talked and cried. Within moments, his eyes were red.

"It's enough, that I know of the gratitude of your father and you."

Heaven Canceller also could not help but felt a little emotional, he said, "The past is the past… Now… oh, your father already… pass away?"

"Yes, three years ago he met with an unfortunate fate when he was hunting tigers in the mountain…" The youth in black said hoarsely.

"That's regrettable… Your father was heroic! A good man…"

In truth, Heaven Canceller currently did not remember who it was, but he pieced together the words of the other person. He figured it was a poor father who was saved by him and had not forgotten that act of kindness. This father had asked his son to find a way to repay the doctor. In fact, even on his death bed, he did not forget about it. In addition, the words "hunting tigers"…, someone who dared to fight tigers would surely be a heroic figure.

Such a person would have surely been a good person.

Out of thin air, Heaven Canceller also felt he has indeed done this good deed. Even though his memory was foggy, this youth was so young and still showed him such gratitude. This surely could not be a lie.

"Senior Heaven Canceller finally remembers!" The youth in black yelled in excitement, "My name is Naruto. That year, I also saw Senior Heaven Canceller!"

"How time passed. You are now grown up!" Heaven Canceller rubbed his beard and smiled. He felt that his skepticism was misplaced. Moreover, he felt as if he just met the child of an old friend and immediately sighed, "If your father could see your abilities today, he would surely be very happy in heaven."

"Yes. I started studying martial arts with my master six years ago…" Naruto said hesitantly. With a look of embarrassment, he stuttered, "Hack, hack…, I finally come face to face with Senior Heaven Canceller today. I also learned that Senior Heaven Canceller is travelling a very long distance to Iron Cloud. Even though my abilities are limited, I would like to help escort Senior Heaven Canceller. I promise to do everything in my power to help you."

"You don't have to do that…" Heaven Canceller said with some hesitation.

"Will Senior Heaven Canceller not give me even one chance to repay your kindness?" Naruto said sadly, "I know my skills are lacking, but… it is my wish. I also want to fulfill my father's last dying wish. I beseech Senior Heaven Canceller to allow me to do this!"

After Naruto said this, it seemed that no one had any doubts left. The eight guards also changed their attitude toward Naruto. One of the guards vigorously patted Naruto's shoulder, smiled and said, "Dear boy, your skills are lacking? The three of us couldn't stop you."

Naruto humbly said, "That was because you went easy on me. You saw that I was young and did not want to use your full force. Otherwise, I would have been chopped in half already."

All of the guards laughed.

Even though they all knew that they certainly did not go easy on him earlier, but the fact that they did not go all out was true. They quite liked this bright and tactful youth.

He did not forget the kindness of others; he persisted on fulfilling his father's dying wish; he was perseverance… Someone who was faithful and filial like this would be welcomed everywhere he went.

"Well, if you insist on it, you can follow me. Wait until we get to Iron Cloud, I will find you some good opportunities if I have a chance. That would be good." Heaven Canceller smiled.

The eight guards also smiled happily. With Heaven Canceller's referral, especially given Iron Cloud's current need of him, nothing would be difficult! It could be said that Heaven Canceller only needed to open his mouth and this youth would have a bright future!

"I dare not. I do not have any interest in fame and glory." Naruto said quietly, revealing a faint dissatisfaction, "Once Senior Heaven Canceller is safe in Iron Cloud, I will be assured and leave. Even though this little person has no accomplishments, but those things, hahaha… It is best to stay away just to be safe. I want to avoid losing my head unexpectedly."

How could Naruto not know this was Heaven Canceller's last test? That was why he put on a show of hating fame and fortune. He also pretended to hide his dissatisfaction with such things…

When Naruto finished even the carriage driver's face became a little eased. Heaven Canceller shook his head and laughed, "Good… In that case, follow me."

Naruto expression went from grief to joy. He jumped up excitedly, "Thank you, Senior Heaven Canceller!"

Meeting such a pure and honest youth, Heaven Canceller laughed freely. He did not know that this "good, kind, honest, filial, faithful…" guy who was just talking was actually trying to hold down the urge to vomit…

Heaven Canceller did not even think that this "repayment of kindness…, fulfill my father's last dying wish…" was all a big lie. Naruto did not even know his own origin, let alone the rest.

Regardless, the first step in Naruto's plan was successful. He had managed to infiltrate this group, and this group had access to the highest level power of Iron Cloud Nation.

Naruto naturally has additional plans, but this group was the key to everything. As long as Heaven Canceller's poisoning of Rahyo was not uncovered, he would still be of great importance to Haku.

Once Heaven Canceller's group has a deep impression of him, this important step could be considered nicely completed.

He originally thought to change his appearance, but, after thinking it over, he felt his body would still leave signs that could be discovered. That would not be good. It was easier to just use his true identity to enter Iron Cloud Nation.

The identity of an expelled disciple of Beyond the Heavens Sect – Naruto!

After just one day, Naruto had become close to the eight guards. They ate and drink together happily. However, Naruto still felt as if there was a sharp gaze constantly watching him. He knew that this gaze belonged to the driver of the carriage.

Even though he did not know that person's martial art skill, but there was something hidden. He was definitely not an ordinary old man. Compared to the martial uncles at Beyond the Heavens Sect, he was probably not weaker.

He was the real protector of Heaven Canceller. Only this person was needed to beat a thousand soldiers and ten thousands horses.

Heaven Canceller and the eight guards had no suspicions toward him. It was only the carriage driver that never trusted him completely.

Two days later, the group came into a town in the afternoon. They finally heard a rumor: "Beyond the Heavens Sect has announced that the disciple Naruto of Purple Bamboo Garden had misconducted himself and killed his elder martial brother Obito. Because of this heinous crime, he was expelled from the sect! From now on, he is no longer a disciple of Beyond the Heavens Sect!"

When they heard the news, Heaven Canceller's group was extremely surprised.

"Naruto, the Naruto they are talking about… Is that you?"

Naruto's face fell. It became gloomy and full of unspoken grievances. His eyes became dazed, empty and confused.

"What happened? How did you get expelled from the sect?" Heaven Canceller frowned, "With your personality, such a thing just cannot be!"

Naruto's face became cold. His hands seemed to unconsciously crush a piece of grass in his hand. A little while later, he grinded his teeth and said, "My martial sister… my martial sister… we were engaged… but…"

He did not finish his sentence. In fact, his explanation has no head or tail. But the expression of pain on his face and his trembling hands full of bulging veins already said everything. His appearance was more effective than any verbal explanation…

"Oh…" Everyone, including Heaven Canceller, sighed. They seemed to understand everything and looked at Naruto with sympathetic eyes.

This using the sword to win in love was just all too common. What was worse was it happened between martial brothers. There were really no words for that.

In addition to that, Naruto showed a miserable face of a person who was in a lot of pain. He held his head with his hands and curled himself up. His ten fingers grabbed his hair and even managed to pull out some… With just a glance, one could tell that he was in indescribable pain…

"Well…" Heaven Canceller sighed and said with great emphasis, "This story, no one is allowed to bring it up again."

The eight guards concurred.

Even the carriage driver softened his gaze on Naruto after this… No wonder this youth appeared to be hopeless and even tried to cover up his martial arts training the other day.

"Thank you." Naruto took a deep bow and said with a hoarse and painful tone, "I only need to fulfill my late father's dying wish to repay Senior Heaven Canceller's great kindness, then I will immediately disappear from this world… haha, from then on, I will live in solitary in the wilderness."

"A man of honor, there's no worry about finding a wife." Heaven Canceller patted his shoulder and consoled him, "You shouldn't think too much of it."

Naruto nodded with great burden. He then sighed and stopped talking… As if there was an affliction in his heart that was difficult to solve.

After this, everyone's attitude toward Naruto was much kinder. They seemed to even become more intimate. Loving, grateful, filial, humble… Such personality was rare in a youth…

Naruto's performance had won over these people completely. Even he did not know that a few acts could have instantly gained him that much advantage.

The leader of the guards even sighed and patted Naruto on the shoulder, "Junior martial brother, you should not be like this anymore. You need to let loose a little. You're a man… you need to widen your horizon… You only need money; there are plenty of pretty girls in the brothels."

Naruto 'sadly' nodded. He looked up and let out a 'forced' smile that was even worse to look at than his crying face…

Even though the others did not say anything, their gaze on Naruto had softened much. A victim of injustice… no matter in what time period, always got people's sympathy.

The carriage driver did not bother to hang out with everyone else and just sat with the horses. Then with a deep sigh, he nonchalantly go up on his feet and tapped his tobacco pipe knocking the ashes to the ground. The eyes that could see through everything so clearly seemed to be lost in thought.

Meanwhile Naruto was sighing on the outside, he knew that he has passed this Heaven Canceller hurdle.

Now the only thing left to worry about was how to proceed once he arrived at Iron Cloud Nation.

A bunch of old foxes already well-seasoned with politics at Iron Cloud Nation would not be as easy to fool as Heaven Canceller.

Heaven Canceller lived his whole life as a miracle doctor. It was said any type of illness would have to retreat under his healing hands. However, he was still just a doctor with extraordinary medical skill. People might have respect for him for that… as for social interactions, he was probably not that great.

And Naruto also knew that a few years from now, Heaven Canceller's reputation would be ruined because of this trip to Iron Cloud Nation. At that time, for some unknown reasons, the illness of Iron Cloud Nation's king was discovered to be caused by Heaven Canceller's poisoning a few years back.

This caused an uproar over the entire Lower Three Heavens.

Because of this discovery Heaven Canceller was criticized by heroes from all over. After admitting it was done by him, he felt ashamed and committed suicide! A whole life of healing and helping others turned to dust just like that.

Perhaps it was a one-time mistake, or perhaps there was some hidden reasons… but what's done is done.

Naruto did not have any special feelings for Heaven Canceller so he did not have any regrets in deceiving and using him. He did not feel any guilt either… But in the past few days Naruto did come to realize that this doctor was especially talented and was truly not a bad person.

Perhaps when the two countries come into conflicts, each person will have their own master.

After all, he was a citizen of Great Sky. In the end, his skills was only used as a sacrifice, a tool for Shinno to appease the people after he conquered Iron Cloud Nation…

As for the eight guards, after careful observations, Naruto was finally sure that none of them belonged to the Golden Horse Rider Department!

From the look of it, these eight were essentially Martial Warriors without any sort of deep cultivation. Additionally, their cultivation was really not all that high. All of them were probably only grade five or six Martial Warriors.

Such guards were more than enough if they were to encounter small time robbers, but they would not do if they were to encounter martial masters. It seemed that they were only for show. The only real master was the carriage driver.

Maybe Heaven Canceller was also a martial expert… but, in both the previous life and this, Naruto had never heard anyone talk of this divine doctor's martial skills.

"Naruto, how old are you?" While Naruto was quietly contemplating, the mysterious carriage driver still holding the tobacco pipe came over next to him and asked.

"Sixteen." Naruto was currently afraid to talk about his life because that suffering was all an act. If he talked too much, something might be revealed. What would he do then?

"Ah, sixteen… It seems that you learned about love very early." The old man revealed a vile smile, showing two rows of yellow teeth that glistened under the light of the fire. There was a sudden flash in his gaze that made Naruto immediately sensed that this man was not coming over for a friendly chat with him.

"Well, this kind of thing cannot really be clearly explained. Even for myself it still seems hazy right now." Naruto sighed and said sadly, "In life, there are many things that always seem ordinary, but when they are lost, they become engraved in your heart… hahaha.".

"Well said." After hearing these words the old man became quiet for a long time. Then with a faint smile, he said, "Always seeming really ordinary is how they get engraved in your heart. It's not early anymore… you should go to sleep."

After the man finished these words, he sat down by the fire and started to poke at the flame without saying another word. The fire danced and shined on his dull eyes, and, every now and then, those eyes shined hypnotically.

Naruto was a little surprised. This was supposed to be the old man's final test for him. Naruto was sure of it… but he only said one sentence like that. Why did the old man just let it go?

After careful contemplation, Naruto sighed. The phrase "always staying really quiet is how they get engraved in your heart" was not something he said casually.

In his previous life, he and Hinata went faced many things that would scare the heavens and shock the earth, but it was not until after Hinata died that the faint memories started to surround him. What still stayed with him were the warm and ordinary things, the quiet memories…

None of those… extraordinary things!

People, who doesn't have a youth?

"People, who doesn't have a youth…" Naruto was just thinking of this when he suddenly heard the voice of the old man echoed his thought. He could not believe that they were thinking about the same thing… Surprise, he looked over to find the old man looking at him. Their gazes showed a little empathy for each other.

"Manager Isago, you should stop dreaming about your youth. You have already reached your winter a long time ago." The leader of the guards took a wine skin as he laughed loudly. Then he raised and poured wine into his mouth.

The seven other guards suddenly burst into laughter.

The Manager Isago man snorted. Suddenly, the tobacco pipe flared up and a tiny spark flew out. It went straight for the wineskin that was just left the guard's mouth.

There was still more than half of the wineskin left, but that little faint spark fell in to it and a half meter tall flame burst up. The leader of the guard was caught by surprise and lost more than half of his facial hair. A burnt smell momentarily filled the surroundings.

The guard could not control himself and roared, "Manager Isago, you're serious?"

Manager Isago snorted, and slowly walked away with his tobacco pipe.

The leader of the guard spat on the ground and angrily watched the manager but did not dare say anything else.

Naruto's gaze suddenly shrunk. He watched the outline of the Manager Isago's stooped back as walked away. A sense of fear rose up inside him.

His move seemed simple at first glance, but Naruto knew that it was extremely difficult. The wine skin must have been 3-4 pounds. Even if it were thrown at a torch, the torch would have been extinguished, let alone a little weak spark.

This move required gaze power, precise timing, and power to support it all… But these were not what Naruto was most concerned with. What he was most concerned about was: there was clearly fire control power behind it! Without the power to control fire then it simply cannot be done! However, the power to control fire… This belonged to the divine clan!

Could he be from that divine clan?

Manager Isago clearly looked like a human, how could he have the Divine Clan's ability to control fire power? Was there some mystery to this bodyguard of Heaven Canceller?

Moreover… This road was too quiet.

While Naruto was contemplating, Nine Tribulation Sword Spirit in his dantian fiercely jumped up. A sense of extreme danger rose up inside him. Within moments his hair was standing on ends. His gaze quickly became cold. He did not bother turning his head around to look. His body spun and rolled and immediately shot up high in the air… One moment he was next to the fire, and the next he was behind a tree. The whole process was so extraordinary that those watching would not believe their eyes.

Suddenly, there was a sharp whistling sound, and a large boulder, a few meters wide, flew down from above. It was flying straight toward Heaven Canceller with exact precision!

Heaven Canceller was right in the center of the boulder's lethal target!

Manager Isago roared and his old man's body suddenly became powerful like a leopard's. It quickly shot forward… but it could be seen that he would not be in time to save Heaven Canceller… at that moment, Naruto mysteriously appeared next to that large boulder. A sword suddenly appeared in his hand. It shot out like a snake going attacking its victim.

The sword's point flew like a dragon and stabbed into the side of the boulder.

D…E…N…G…G!

The stone was originally spinning intensely forward, but this extremely accurate stab into its exact weak spot… finally managed to slow down its speed a little.

Like a big mountain quietly and suddenly falling on a sharp pivot point, this mysterious scene was difficult to put in words.

This large boulder's reaction presented itself in a blink of an eye. It seemed as if Naruto's chest was hit by the boulder… Blood sprayed out from his mouth as he rolled back.

However, he had managed to buy a little time! It was insignificant, only a blink of an eye…

But only that blink of an eye was needed for Manager Isago to, as quick as a bolt of lightning, appear between Heaven Canceller and the big boulder… He let out an angry roar, followed by an invisible punch. The only thing that could be seen was a bright white flash around his fist. That extremely heavy stone shattered; the little broken pieces poured down like rain!

Heaven Canceller was safe and sound!

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…

Arrows poured down from the mountain's peak. They enveloped the group in all directions.

"Formation! Face the enemies!" The leader of the guards yelled. The eight systematically and quickly rolled on the ground to their horses. Within a second, each of them was holding a round shield. Even though their reaction was relative fast, one of the guards was shot on his shoulder and calf. The tip of the arrows pierced through the body and brought with them pieces of meat and blood as they quickly disappeared in the dark night.

He let out a painful scream. The other guards took three shields to cover him.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh… the sounds started again. Hundreds of arrows rained down like an iron curtain in the air.

THUNK THUNK… The arrows landed on the ground. The entire area of more than a hundred square meters became a giant hedgehog!

Manager Isago let out a wail as his body spun like a dark cyclone. With his hands, he caught the dozens of arrows that were still in the air. He tossed them like dozens of black lightning bolts flying back in the opposite direction… He did not even bother to look at the result. Without pause, he grabbed Heaven Canceller. His body was but a flash as he went over to the carriage and quickly put Heaven Canceller inside.

THWISH, THWISH… sounds rang up. Arrows then immediately appeared with a new target, the carriage. The sheer massive force caused the entire carriage to shake… but none of the arrows could pierce it!

This carriage, as it turned out, was not ordinary!

In the middle of the mountain, there were the "THUNK, THUNK…." sounds in the direction that Manager Isago had just sent back some of the arrows. These were the sounds of arrows landing on tree trunks… every now and then, they were interrupted by short screams.

Manager Isago came back within a second. His face was pale; his first reaction was not to advance and kill the enemies… He glanced at Naruto. He was the only one there that knew how difficult Naruto's previous sword move was.

If it was not for that incredible sword move, then this trip would have been disastrous!

In terms of timing, position, power, and even the starting point from the beginning… all was perfect beyond belief! That sword move was simply saintly!

This youth was only a Martial Warrior. Even a Martial Master at peak level could not do anything to such a large falling boulder with just a sword… It was unbelievable that Naruto could have used a sword to slow it down!

Even though it was only for a blink of an eye, it was able to turn tables!

After that incredible move, the ordinary sword was astonishingly undamaged. And the price he paid was only a little blood! This was simply unimaginable!

The timing of the enemies' attack was extremely strange. They were currently in the territory of Iron Cloud… before this, they were unbothered on the road. It was unexpected that they would be attack here… Moreover, the enemies did not wait until midnight, but chose to initiate early in the evening like this!

Everything happened so unexpectedly that it would make people feel as if the attackers were a group of robbers on the run and suddenly happened upon this opportunity. It was as if this was simply an impromptu decision. Even Manager Isago, who has been in Jiang Hu all his life, was caught unprepared!

However, Naruto was able to do his sword move, within a moment of chaos! A sword move full of miraculous aura. It was almost like he has practiced this a thousand times already!

Manager Isago was sure that no one would have practiced for such thing. It was not a coincidence, but it was not pre-planned either!

When he looked over at the place where Naruto has just fallen, he discovered that the kid who just spit out blood and fell to the ground was nowhere to be seen!

The eight guards formed a defensive position and slowly moved toward the carriage and dispersed around to fortify it.

Manager Isago wanted to rush in and kill the enemies, but he stopped after some thoughts. Instead he stayed put and directed for the carriage to be slowly moved back away from the forest. The two horses that pulled the carriage earlier have already been turned into hedgehogs, and half of the guards' horses have also been killed.

Manager Isago's body shook as he stood in place. The only sounds that were heard were repeated THUD THUD as each horse's body was tossed on top of each other… In an extremely short period of time, the dead horses became a wall of meat to block them from the view of those in the forest. Afterward, he crossed his arms across his chest. With full alertness, he looked around all four directions. And then step by step, he backed away.

Their job was to keep Heaven Canceller safe, not kill the enemies!

While he was doing these things, the hidden enemies, surprisingly, did not show the slightest of reaction!

The attackers did not make a sound! With the exception of the two screams from earlier, they were like mimes.

The arrows have stopped! All was completely quiet as if the earlier incident never happened at all. From extremely intense to extremely quiet, there was no buffer in between.

When the arrows had quieted, twilight seized this opportunity to blanket its darkness over the ground! Between heaven and earth, there was suddenly filled with a stifling aura. It was so oppressive that one could barely breathe normally.

The next time the enemies attack, it would definitely not be a few simple moves like what just happened. This was clear enough to everyone!

Who were the enemies? What side did they belong to? Was it Great Sky? Iron Cloud? Or was it Limitless Nation? Or was it… another power? Everything was hidden in a hazy fog.

Regardless of which side they belonged to, this was definitely premeditated!

It was not until the group moved back by about ten meters that there was a reaction from the forest. After a series of strange sounds, a sharp whistling sound rose up. A long black shadow like a screaming, angry dragon flew out of the forest and broke through the curtain of the night. It brought with it an overwhelming presence and could not be blocked. In the blink of an eye, it would reach the carriage!

The long shadow was like a tyrannical force that leaves everything trembling in its wake!

It was only an arrow!

However, shockingly, the shaft of this arrow was three meters long. It was filled with the smell of death as if it had been shot out from hell! It ripped through the night as it headed for the carriage!

The tip of the arrow was heading straight for the central compartment. Without a doubt, it would not spare anyone in the carriage!

"Siege crossbow! Bastards!" The old man roared and the next moment there appeared a flame on his hand. He fiercely punched and sent the flame forward!

Control of fire!

"Bang…!"

Immediately after contact with the fire, from that gigantic dark arrow that looked like a black dragon, there were sparks flying everywhere!

However, that arrow did not stop at all and continued to head straight forward!

After that first punch, Manager Isago continued to roar and produced eighteen consecutive punches. With every punch there was that same strange fire power fiercely hitting the siege crossbow's arrow!

Like a hammering black smith, he did not cease his attack on that giant arrow. But the reverse could also be said; that arrow was doing the hammering on Manager Isago's fist!

There was an incredible radiance spread out in all four directions in the sky. In the dark night, there seemed as if thousands of fireworks were blooming brightly!

Little wood pieces fell all around him. With each punch, Manager Isago roared loudly. With eighteen punches, his eighteen roars filled the whole surrounding. When the arrow was shot out from the siege crossbow it was three meters long. It was now only one meter.

Manager Isago was shocked; he had continuously retreated a few steps back and found himself against the carriage! The siege crossbow's arrow that was right in front of him finally lost its momentum, and dropped heavily on the ground.

The air was filled with the smell of burnt things and smoke.

Manager Isago's chest was rising and falling rapidly as he looked fiercely at the forest. A second later, he spit out some fresh blood. As the blood came out, his face also turned red. After a few moments, his normal color returned and his breathing normalized.

He never would have thought that the enemies would set up a siege crossbow in a place like this. Because he was caught by surprise, no matter what his cultivation level was, he still took on some internal injuries when he dealt with the siege crossbow's arrow!

The siege crossbow was a military weapon used to break down citadels' gates. The arrows were more than three meters long! They were made from Black Iron tree trunks with sharp and pointy metal tips. These arrows were normally soaked in oil vats and only taken out right before use.

To shoot each arrow, there had to be at least one hundred strong men working in a concerted effort to pull the giant bow. Only then they would have the ability to release this powerful arrow that can determine the outcomes of wars!

Siege crossbows were incredibly powerful; once they were used, citadels would undoubtedly be broken.

After a moment of silence, a voice rang out from the forest. It was filled with praise, "You really live up to the title Fire Saber Great Master; you're truly amazing. One siege crossbow arrow can bring down a citadel gate, but you single-handedly brought it down. Much respect! Much respect!"

With that voice, eight people simultaneously appeared from different locations. They all wore black masks, only their cold, sharp eyes were visible. Step by step, they walked toward Manager Isago.

Manager Isago's eyes narrowed as he asked in a low voice, "Who are you people?"

One of them grunted coldly and said, "Rumors has it that Fire Saber Great Master, Isago, had retired from Jiang Hu. I did not think it was a lie. A Saber Great Master working as someone's body guard, accepting the easy life of a lapdog. I really envy you! Isago, where is your saber?"

Manager Isago was startled. His body suddenly perked forward. His slightly hunched posture suddenly became straight and tall. His eyes brightened as he spoke coldly, "If you already knew I am Isago, then, surely, you are not a no name either. Let me see who you are!"

He yelled out the sentence "Let me see who you are!" His roar was loud enough to shake the whole forest.

The other person did not budge even a little. He stood there and said nonchalantly, "Isago, if you take Heaven Canceller and turn around, we will not pursue you any further! Otherwise, today will be the day you, Fire Saber Great Master, dies!"

Manager Isago tilted his head up and laughed, "Such bravado, let's see how you people plan to hold this old man!"

One of the black-outfitted person mocked, "Fire Saber Great Master? Is that so great?"

Then he suddenly yelled, "Everyone forward! Six people to Isago, the other two kill Heaven Canceller!"

The eight complied and simultaneously unsheathed their weapons and advanced.

Manager Isago saw early on that these people did not necessarily have high cultivation level, but they were all about equal, probably Martial Master level. Even though their cultivation was a long stride below him, their current simultaneous advancement made them a powerful force!

"You are Iron Cloud Nation's military?" Seeing the enemies' incredible momentum, one that martial artists of higher level could not replicate, Manager Isago was shocked.

The enemies did not bother to reply. Six sabers simultaneous slashed in the blink of an eye.

Manager Isago yelled, "Protect the carriage!" At the same time, his wrist quickly turned out. A great saber with a dark red color appeared. It drew a screen in the air as thick as rain; only, this rain screen was filled flames bursting everywhere.

"Deng… Deng… Deng…"

The sounds of weapons clashing rang without end. In a flash, there were seven people in fierce combat without any reservations. The other two did not bother to pay any attention to that battle. At this same time, they rushed to the carriage with swords in hands.

If there were no constraints, Manager Isago would have taken his time and killed each of these guys one by one. However, it is impossible to kill them all at once.

Furthermore, after his dealing with the siege crossbow's arrow, he had suffered from internal injuries, rendering him even more powerless!

At this moment, six enemies surrounded him. The eight guards did not have the ability to deal with the other two. Manager Isago could not help but feel anxious!

Since the moment the siege crossbow made that shot, Naruto disappeared, without a trace, into the forest!

He was like a wolf returning to the grassland, his home territory.

After that first weapon struck, he immediately turned and shot himself back. He spit out a clump of fresh blood to help alleviate the shock to his internal system. Immediately after, his two legs stomped hard on the ground, creating a cloud of dust. Using the low-lying cloud of dust to cover his body, he stayed low to ground and moved like a snake. With a few movements, he was now hidden behind a large tree. Finally, his body moved in a mysterious manner. From the ground he climbed up to the tree top. Using leaves as cover, he continued to jump through more than a dozen trees and disappeared into the forest.

The movements were smooth like a breeze weaving through the forest. Naruto's body was so agile that the leaves did not even move.

Even if the best of assassins were to see Naruto's actions at this time, their eyes would probably drop out of their sockets!

This was the best route that Naruto had chosen early on. In fact, he had planned it long before the attack. No matter where the resting place was, it was his habit to plan beforehand a route to retreat and a route to attack. Where he was standing now was between these two paths.

Attacking meant the possibility for merits; retreating meant being able to keep his life!

Such an ambush would naturally mean there was a large force. From the rain of arrows earlier, it was enough to know that a passive defense technique would not be good. Even if the enemies were weakened, they could kill him.

The only way to solve the situation was to start an offensive.

Heaven Canceller cannot die!

Currently, Heaven Canceller had Manager Isago's protection. At least for the time being, he should be okay. Naruto was not worried about him even for a little. That was why after that one key sword movement, he immediately took his next action.

Bring the killing into the forest!

Whoever was in that forest, they were the true source of this ambush!

The first enemy that caught Naruto's eyes was hidden in a layer of leaves. Only his cold and alert eyes were shown; they were devoid of any emotions.

One look at those eyes and you could tell this was a skilled and seasoned soldier! This kind of person only has one creed in life: kill the enemy and complete the task!

On the ground in front of him was a row of hidden crossbows. Each was already preloaded with ten shiny black arrows, ready to be fired.

Naruto carefully held his breath and advanced slowly. His body was currently hidden on a treetop. Like a silent ghost, he advanced in an extraordinary manner.

Looking down from up high, Naruto carefully scanned all four directions below. Nearby there were many more such shiny arrows. From the number of arrows, he guessed there were at least fifty to sixty people!

This ambush was clearly planned well ahead of time! How did the enemies know that the group would rest here? Plus, they actually buried the bow and arrows in advance?

Looking at the enemies' hiding positions, Naruto could not help but frowned. They were extremely well-calculated!

From each position, they could keep watch on at least three of their companions. They can easily help each other, without fail. On the off chance that someone got discovered, they can provide support!

Only the most elite of military soldiers could come up with this plan! If he attacked anyone in the group, three others would immediately find out!

The enemies' hiding positions not only were extremely well-covered to the outside, they also created a battle formation without any blind spots! It was impossible to quietly attack a group like this one. The only thing left to do was to fight from the inside out; there was no other way!

In the center of this formation, behind some short bushes was a vague silhouette of a person sitting very still. At first glance, this person was not special in comparison to the others, but Naruto recognized that this was the most important person.

This was because the place he was hiding in had at least ten people watching! For other places in the formation, there was only a maximum of five people watching. Moreover, his position was at the center; the whole thing was essentially a net of protection for him. Next to him, nestled amongst the foliage, was an extremely large piece of equipment! It was the siege crossbow.

At this moment, beyond the thick forest, the sound of Manager Isago and eight other people talking were clearly heard: "…if you take Heaven Canceller and turn around, we will not pursue…" As these words fell on Naruto's ears, he was a little shaken. He could already make a rough guess who these people were.

They had the siege crossbow; plus, they were very disciplined. Of course they were of military background!

Naruto's body continued to float in a ghostly manner as he approached the leader. Suddenly, he pushed hard with his two legs and his whole body shot down from the treetop like a lightning bolt. Like a hawk grabbing its prey, his ten fingers curled as he fiercely sprung forward!

When Naruto was less than a meter away from this person, the air hissed. An arrow suddenly flew toward Naruto. This arrow seemed to have alerted the whole group. Some thirty to forty sharp arrows flew like lightning from all directions, creating a series of violent whistling sounds in the air.

The first arrow was the real threat; the others were clearly one step too late.

Naruto tilted his body to one side, and the first arrow passed by his nose, missing it by about a centimeter. His hands kept their original stance as continued to fly down.

After seeing the positions of the enemies, Naruto immediately changed his approach. He took a more aggressive initiative. He only needed the group to discover him. Along with his speed to disrupt their rhythm, he could destroy their perfect cooperation!

This was not the time to kill the enemies, but to disrupt their formation first!

Furthermore, that other person was of great importance. Capturing him was enough to destroy this ambush!

In seizing this man, he had the opportunity to finish this in one shot!

This person immediately saw Naruto. His eyes flashed, but he never panicked. He screamed, and his whole body jumped up. The moment he was off the ground he turned, and, with arms outstretched, shot ten arrows in Naruto's direction. This was followed by a flash of a saber fiercely slashing in the direction of Naruto's neck.

Naruto's agile body easily avoided those ten arrows. In a flash, his right arm went forward pass the saber, and his clawed hand straightened as he palmed the nape of this powerful person. This movement was extremely fast.

The person glared at him. His eyes flashed a look of disbelief as his whole body fell down like a wooden block.

Even though this person's reaction was very quick, but Naruto had momentum from falling down from up high. Plus, the other person was caught by surprise; his reaction came too late!

Naruto did not wait until his body touched the ground. His right hand grabbed the person's collar and lifted him up. Naruto's two feet had just touched the ground when he pushed hard, and he shot back into the air.

After he just flew up, his legs immediate pushed hard against a large tree. The large tree shook violently under his push. Leaves flew down like rain. Like an arrow, Naruto flew straight out of the forest. That person must have weighed almost two hundred pounds, but Naruto held him with his right hand as if it was nothing. His quick actions was not affected in the slightest.

Hundreds of arrows gave chase behind him, but Naruto was not bothered by them. He simply swayed his body a few times to avoid them. Naruto's black clothes were ripped apart in the front and back, but his body did not have one scratch.

It clearly looked as if a few arrows were piercing into Naruto's body, but the next moment, those arrows only went through his clothes and flew out in a strange manner. Naruto's silhouette did not change as he flew faster and faster!

The soldiers in hiding were clearly concerned about the fact that Naruto was holding that person. With each arrow, they tried their best to avoid him. In doing so, they have unwittingly helped Naruto's movement as well as verification of the person's identity!

This person was definitely not ordinary at all!

Naruto's two legs successively kicked fiercely on the tree trunks. His body was like an electrical pulse flying through the thick forest. Most of the arrows that tore through the wind after him ended up in tree trunks!

After a few breaths, Naruto left in a blur as they were still mobilizing; as for him, he was already almost out of the thick forest!

In front of him, there was suddenly a loud roar as a few people simultaneously jumped out. They swung their sabers fiercely blocking Naruto's escape.

Naruto's eyes flashed as his two legs suddenly pushed hard. He was originally moving forward, but now he mysteriously flew straight up into the air by about three meters. After rising above their heads, Naruto continued to push against the big tree trunks and flew out like a shooting star, leaving shaking trees in his wake.

He was finally out of the forest and into the wide open fields.

The ambush party in the surroundings could no longer stay hidden. They revealed themselves as they came out from all four directions to give chase after Naruto. Behind the black masks, their eyes have all lost the extreme calm of earlier. They were replaced with only concern.

They had developed a very meticulous plan. The eight experts were to come out and reduce the group power. In the chaos, they would attack and kill Heaven Canceller, and disappear right afterward.

They did not plan on the appearance of this wretched, unknown boy, who shot straight into their crucial position and caught their commander. And, thus, he has wrecked their plans!

Even though they were all furious, each person was also extremely puzzled: How could this youth have penetrated the center of their tight knitted defense with such accuracy? Was it possible that he has some kind of divining ability?

With their plans fallen apart like this, how could they return?

The great man in Naruto's clutches was still unconscious and oblivious to everything that was happening around him.

Naruto did not want to take his life.

It was not that Naruto was afraid to kill people; killing people was truly a very easy thing for him. What he was most concerned with was resolving the current danger; the second thing was finding out the origin of these people!

They were most likely from Iron Cloud! Moreover, they were probably the Dead Warriors under Prince Haku's command.

They would be the only people who did not want Heaven Canceller to come to Iron Cloud! On the off chance that Heaven Canceller could perform a miracle and help Rahyo recover his health, the country of Iron Cloud would fall into the peculiar situation of having two kings.

No matter how solid the relationship between the two were, their underlings would not necessarily see it that way. Haku was currently the spiritual pillar, the savior, and the only hope of Iron Cloud Nation.

Rahyo's recovery would have a huge effect on Haku's status. More importantly, it would decrease the military's morale because no army can be loyal to two leaders at the same time!

Facing Shinno under such conditions, Iron Cloud would most certainly be doomed to failure!

If these people were indeed who Naruto thought they were, he absolutely could not kill them! Iron Cloud's strength had greatly fallen in comparison to Great Sky already. Therefore, not even a little strength should be wasted.

These Dead Warriors were the treasure of the military. If he killed them, one thing would be certain: at least one unit of Iron Cloud's military would fall into chaos. While the effect of this could not be predicted, but there would surely be an overall effect on the war.

Naruto had planned to reverse fate and help Haku defeat Shinno, so he could not kill these people!

Naruto came out of the thick forest like a meteor, behind him an entire black-outfitted army swarmed out in pursuit! Naruto was not the least bit concerned with it as he jumped up and down in between the two clashing sides. While he were still in mid-air, Naruto yelled loudly:

"If you want him alive, you will all stop!"

After finishing this sentence, Naruto dropped to the ground. He staggered and then rolled on the ground with the other person. Afterward, he struggled to stand up, but fell to the ground once more. At this point, his face was flushed as he breathed heavily. After a violent coughing fit, he spit out blood on the ground.

From the beginning to end of his whole feat, Naruto was virtually not breathing. His actions were continuous without any breaks, so, naturally, his internal systems have suffered some shock. Now that he had a chance to catch his breath, his whole body had become completely relaxed with no strength left at all.

However, the first thing he had to do was bring the icy cold sword to the man's neck.

And like that, Naruto knelt on the ground with one hand holding the sword to the man's neck, panting heavily. His appearance was disheveled, but his eyes were calm and cold. Looking at those eyes, no one dared to move. If they did not follow his order, that man's head would surely fall to the ground!

The currently situation had become exceedingly dangerous. Manager Isago was under attack from six people; even though, he was not beaten, he was also not free to save Heaven Canceller. The six realized that they were not Manager Isago's opponents so in a desperate attempt to hold him they took turns and attacked him in a suicidal manner.

Even though they were all wounded, they were determined to fight to the death.

The other two had already reached the carriage. Out of the eight guards that followed, four were already on the ground. Only a little more time and the carriage would be destroyed exposing Heaven Canceller within.

However, everything was reversed within a second. Everyone was fiercely fighting with each other when they suddenly became paralyzed. They looked at Naruto in astonishment, unable to say a word.

This youth was a mess. His clothes was tattered. He looked as if he was on his last breath. Additionally, there was blood at the edge of his mouth; he seemed to be dying.

If some silly youth yelled out like that, he would have been greeted with a sword. However, seeing the person he was holding, they knew that this was no joke.

Even though he was breathing heavily, his sword was steady and remained unmoved. His eyes remained alert in all four directions.

"Release him!"

The masked leader immediately recognized who Naruto was holding. He could not help but roar in anger! At this point, he even felt it was a little surreal.

How could this be? Was the general not under strict protection?

One hundred Dead Warriors, of which, eight were Martial Masters, twenty were Martial Warriors, and the rest were Martial Pupils of high grade.

Plus, there were also the fifty archers and the siege crossbow!

Such a powerful force never lost to any army. This plan was supposed to be no different from squatting a mosquito with a mountain. That divine doctor was supposed to be chopped to pieces here.

How did the general fall into the hands of the enemy?

The whole thing happened in the dark of night, and it was also in treacherous terrain. Moreover, the general's position was in the center of the formation, under many layers of protection. How did he get here?

"Release him?" Still panting, Naruto laughed, "If you were me, would you release him?"

"You happened to catch an insignificant person in our group. And you still dare to use him to threaten us? What a joke!" Even though the leader was anxious, his voice was calm once again.

"Insignificant person?" Naruto laughed, "So he is only an insignificant person?"

After he finished speaking, he suddenly moved his arm. The blade sliced the man's shoulder and fresh blood spilled everywhere.

"You…!"

All the masked people revealed a look of shock in their eyes. One of them was so concerned that he took a step forward.

"What are you doing?" The masked person asked, controlling his anger.

Still holding his sword, Naruto glanced at him and said sadly, "You just told me that he is only an insignificant person; I was so depressed, I could barely hold onto my sword. Anyway, if he is only an insignificant person, you should just continue your battle. Haha, we should divide our duties clearly. You kill Heaven Canceller, and I'll kill your leader."

After he finished talking, Naruto turned his sword around and slowly but decisively stabbed the general's arm. Naruto's gaze was full of mockery as he looked at the masked man facing him. He casually let the blood spill on him.

"Hold on!" The masked leader finally gave in and took a step forward, "What are your demands?"

"Very simple. You and your people back up and let us go!" Naruto's breathing had normalized. He unsteadily stood up dragging the arm of the other man. "When we are safe, I will let this insignificant person go. Haha."

When he said the words "insignificant person," he deliberately acted as if he had difficulty breathing and spoke very slowly, showing full sarcasm.

"You… You have to remove the sword and then we'll talk!" The masked person spoke anxiously and angrily, "Torturing someone like that, how can you call yourself a hero!"

"Hero? I am not a hero." Naruto slowly pulled the sword out and said coldly, "I currently only have one purpose. It is to arrive at Iron Cloud Citadel safe and sound! Things like today, I hope to not encounter a second time!"

"I will comply!" The masked leader said sincerely, "But how do I know if you are trustworthy?"

Naruto said coolly, "Until now, I have not bothered to remove his mask. Is this enough sincerity?"

The masked man spoke in amazement, "That's right. That's more than enough!"

Not removing the mask of his enemy meant that the opponent did not want to make a big deal out of the incident, giving both sides a possible exit. If he had taken the mask off then the general's identity would have been revealed. At that time, the only course of action would be to kill everyone to destroy the evidence. Naturally, this killing would also affect the life of the general. Not to mention Fire Saber Great Master, Isago, if he wanted to escape then none of them could stop him.

Heaven Canceller was invited by Haku, the prince of Iron Cloud. Plus, he went with permission from Great Sky. If Isago escaped and told people of this, then everything would fall apart. This was dangerous to the relationship of the two countries. Once this was discovered, they would easily be judged as traitors of Iron Cloud.

The consequences would be disastrous.

The leader raised his hand and whistled a signal and approximately eighty or ninety masked men in black immediately lined up in an orderly fashion. In the blink of an eye, they created an awe-inspiring, impregnable wall.

Manager Isago and the four remaining guards felt as if they were dreaming.

They were just in a precarious situation and the enemy was about to succeed. They were feeling angry and hopeless when Naruto, unexpectedly, appeared with another person. What was even more surprising was the fact that he yelled for them stop.

And indeed the enemies did stop!

Now that they were hearing the conversation, they know that this other person was the commander of the team!

Unbelievable! How could there be such coincidences? This was truly unimaginable!

It was truly risky to enter the enemies' formation alone. But to kidnap the commander and once again waltz through many layers of defenses? Turning the tide of the battle in the blink of an eye with the power of just one person… Was this a myth or a legend?

It seemed that no such thing has ever been written in history!

Everyone looked at Naruto in a different light!

"There is one thing I need…" The person in black hesitated, then continued, "I want to verify that person is still alive!"

"No problem." Naruto said enthusiastically. After that he palmed the person's heart and transferred a wave of cold air into his body.

That person immediately shivered and became alert. At which point, he discovered his situation and yelled out angrily, "What are you waiting for? Kill them now!"

"But… sir…"

"No need to worry about me!" The hostage yelled, "At this point, what are you worrying about me for?"

"Sir, your mask has not been taken off." Naruto said softly, "Plus, you have lost. In this situation, will you even be able fight us to the death? Would your subordinate dare to do such thing?"

The man became livid. He cursed, "Bastard! Who are you? How are we defeated? What qualifies you to tell us we have lost this battle?"

"My qualification is…" Naruto said arrogantly, "You are in my hands! You are only a fish waiting to be flayed. Understand?"

The hostage immediately became quiet and started breathing heavily. His eyes were full of shame and anguish. Suddenly, he twisted his body and tried to bring his neck into Naruto's blade!

People yelled out in terror!

Naruto laughed coldly, with a powerful lift, he tossed the hostage to the ground with just one arm. He kicked his butt, and said viciously, "If you don't listen to me, then even if you die, I will strip off your mask and your clothes as well. Then I will use your body as a flag to enter Iron Cloud citadel! If you like, you can go ahead and give me a try!"

The man was stunned and finally calmed down. He was not afraid of death, but what Naruto just said was downright malicious!

With his prestigious position in Iron Cloud, he could not suffer such humiliation even after death! There was also the reputation of his family, the reputation of the military…

"Fine…" He sighed, "What you want is to arrive at Iron Cloud citadel safely. I will comply. From here on, no one will try to stop you."

"I don't have any faith in those words!" Naruto said coldly, "We'll have to ask you to escort us!"

"You…!" The man turned and glared at Naruto.

Naruto was shaken when he saw within those eyes an endless coldness along with great power. Moreover, those eyes seemed to speak of a haughtiness and a lack of respect for life.

This was definitely a character of high position!

"No need to stare at me like that. Once we are safe, I will let you go. I know you are concerned. Rest assured, I will not make it hard on you and will not disclose your identity. Even I do not know who you are." Naruto said casually, "I don't believe in your promises, but you can believe in mine."

He paused a little and said calmly, "You have no other choice!"

The man glared at him for a while and suddenly waved dismissively to his underlings, "You guys should leave. I will go and play with them for a little while."

"Your… Eldest martial brother…!" The leader in the black-outfitted group took a firm step forward. He unexpectedly threw himself on the ground and put out his arms, "Take me instead of eldest martial brother! I promise to obey you the whole way. Rest assured, even though I am worth less than my eldest martial brother, we will keep our promise."

"Shut up! Get the f* out of here!" Naruto's hostage roared angrily, "You… him… motherf*… You want to piss me off? After I get back, I will kill your entire family, take your property… motherf*… Kill all nine generations of your relatives! You dare to speak gibberish in front of me? Get out of here now!"

"Bring those punks with you. Motherf*s still not going. Get out of here… get out of here… get…!" The man swore, "Looking at you mother*s so excited like this. You must be really happy, huh? You're still not leaving?"

Under his anger and screaming, his underlings reluctantly departed.

"You listen to me! If you so much as touch a hair on our eldest martial brother, we will mince you to pieces even if it means nine generations of our family get killed and we have to go to the corner of the earth to hunt you down."

The black-outfitted person yelled out and walked away. Not long after, they disappeared into the thick forest.

Seeing that they had left, an exhausted Naruto sat down on the ground. He placed his shaky hand in his chest and held the Pure Purple Jade Essence to recover his martial energy.

Unexpectedly, there rose an overbearing opposition in his head. Nine Tribulations Sword Spirit would not let him do it.

Naruto sat dumbfounded and cursed internally, "F*! You didn't help me when I was fighting earlier, and now you won't let me recover my martial energy?"

"When you were fighting earlier, you did not use the force of Nine Tribulations Sword, then did you want help in cheering you on? I can only assist you, not take over your body. Whether it is your physical body or your thoughts, the one in control is you, Naruto, not Nine Tribulations Sword. This is something you need to be clear on! Now, let's talk about the recovery. When you get to the point of extreme pain and exhaustion, only by using your own effort to recover can you breakthrough and increase your martial energy. You keep depending on this damn jade to get warm winters and cool summers; recover quickly while just sitting there! Breakthrough your head!

Naruto did not expect Nine Tribulation Sword Spirit to completely recover, and he certainly did not expect it to talk to him like this, so he could not help but to be surprised to hear all these things.

Pure Purple Jade Essence was a precious treasure, but in the mouth of the sword spirit, it became a useless piece of jade to cool and warm commoners!

"Once you find out about your origin, the first thing I will do is devour that damn piece of jade! So much energy stored within, but I can only watch!" The sword spirit mumbled and without waiting for a reaction from Naruto, it fell back into silence.

WTF! Naruto's eyes rolled and his mouth was gaping. So this guy has been tempted by the jade the whole time.

"You can absorb that energy! Since when did I say you couldn't?" Naruto said inquisitively.

"Then what will you use to find your parents? Just go all over the world with your bare ass?" Nine Tribulations Sword spirit yelled in anger. Afterward, it mumbled, "For thousands of years I could not find a suitable host. Now that I found one, it's a brain-dead idiot!"

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Naruto was furious. Enraged, he yelled loudly. His mouth was foaming!

F*! Nine Tribulation Sword in the previous life did not dare talk to him that way. You are only a sword! I might be patience, but I won't put up with this insolence!

"I… I did not call you…" A confused face and a puzzled voice came to him.

Manager Isago, with a concerned face, came closer to Naruto. He originally wanted to thank Naruto. He did not think that the other person would suddenly open his eyes wide and yell: "Who are you calling an idiot?"

Manager Isago was thoroughly shocked. When did I call you that? I didn't even open my mouth yet!

Naruto felt the atmosphere seemed to have changed. He smiled awkwardly and said, "I didn't mean you!"

Confused, Manager Isago looked around. You weren't talking to me? Besides me, is there anyone else around here? This kid is truly not normal…

"Ah, I have fallen into the hands of a head case!" The exhausted hostage said as he lay on the ground. He rolled his eyes and sighed sadly, "I dreamt of being a hero, spending my whole life traversing under the heavens and doing great things that will shake heaven and earth… but today I have made the mistake of falling into the hands of this psychotic guy. Such bad luck!"

"You're the psychotic one!" Naruto answered as he rolled his eyes. Suddenly, he was startled. What? Why does this narcissistic attitude seem so familiar? Have I contracted Rock Lee's virtue?

At this time, the four surviving guards approached them. Their martial brothers have died under the hands of this hostage's men, so their gazes were not friendly at all.

"You guys should move away! I don't want to be disturbed." The hostage roared, "Bothering me, do you want to die?"

He was a hostage, but he was still so arrogant!

Heaven Canceller came out from inside the carriage, his countenance showed that he had calmed down somewhat. He gave Naruto a nod, "Naruto! It's lucky that we have you!"

He paused a little then said emotionally, "If it was not for you, I am afraid I would have left my body here. Regardless of what I have done for you before, we are even now!"

Heaven Canceller smiled, "You do not have to feel burdened anymore. A doctor's job is to save lives, therefore there's really no debts to talk about; it's just part of the job. Today, you were the true savior."

Naruto was suddenly filled with admiration. If Heaven Canceller could say such words, he was truly worthy of the title top divine doctor. Naruto immediately said, "Senior Heaven Canceller is too kind! These things were just my own doings, you should not break our prior commitment because of this."

"Of course not!" Heaven Canceller nodded and smiled, "The safety and identity of this person determines our safety. It's important to look at the big picture."

The hostage grunted and said, "I know you guys wouldn't dare!"

After he finished, he turned back and look at Naruto with a sharp gaze, "Hey, damn kid! There were so many people, why did you only go after me?"

Naruto smiled, "Because you are the most important. If I caught someone else, would the others retreat?"

The hostage laughed loudly, revealing a heroic air that could not be covered up by the mask. He asked, "What I am most puzzled about is how you knew I am the most important person?"

"This is something I shouldn't tell you, but you seem like a nice enough person, I will break the rule this one time."

Naruto thought a little, then tilted his head and smiled, "It was because your men placed you in a very important position."

"My men and I eat and drink together. We go into battle together; I always work to serve as a good example for all the soldiers… How can you say I was placed in a special position? What nonsense!"

"Even though you act that way, they do not think that way." Naruto said coldly, "An army cannot work without a general, but if that general wants to serve as an example for his soldiers in everything, then he becomes an obstacle for that army. In fact, he might be its biggest failure!"

He looked at the man mockingly, "Even though this general thinks he always does a good job, he doesn't know that it is the very thing that will send his army to its doom."

The man became pensive, "Then what is the perfect middle ground?"

"A leader who always wants to set an example for his soldiers will never become a good leader. However, if he always gives orders and directs from behind, then he would definitely not succeed. There must be a balance." Naruto said casually, "I have never been a general nor have I lead any soldiers, so I don't know where that balance is nor could I give you any advice."

The man was suddenly stunned. His brows raised as he thought carefully. After a long time, he looked up and said sincerely, "I will heed your words!"

Naruto was really interested in this guy he just captured. At first glance, he might seem crude, but he was actually quite shrewd. Moreover, this person was only a Martial Warrior, but eight of his underlings were Martial Masters.

Even though it was a difference of just one word, but it was an insurmountable gap. Being able to lead with such low cultivation compared to your own men, it was definitely abnormal!

He was honorable… It could be seen that his status in the army was extremely high.

There are not likely many such leaders in Iron Cloud Nation. He must live!

As he came to this thought, Naruto sighed and looked at bodies of the guards on the ground. He then looked at the anguish in the faces of the ones still living. They looked so helpless, even with the enemy in hands, they could not do anything!

Or it could be said this was beyond them; it was now a conflict between two countries!

However, Naruto felt some contempt. Currently, he was an outsider; the two countries were of little concerns to him. Heaven Canceller was a good person, but this journey of his had a direct effect on Naruto's efforts to invert fate. Rahyo's illness has a definite effect on the fate of Iron Cloud Nation. If Iron Cloud Nation fell, then Beyond the Heavens Sect's fate would be dire as well.

If Beyond the Heavens Sect fell, then his master and martial brothers would also die. Hinata would not be lucky enough to keep her own life either. Heaven Canceller might be a good person, but Naruto could not support him.

These assassins were not necessarily bad people; their path coincided with Naruto's. There was no way he could kill these people!

However, if Naruto placed himself in the shoes of the surviving guards, he would definitely not spare this hostage. He would not pay any mind to promises made or have any scruples with messing up the bigger picture.

Four martial brothers were slain. If you don't take revenge, can you still be a man?

But these four guards stood in anguish. They did not take any actions even though they were not being restrained.

Naruto looked down on such gutless people. It was true that this was the promise made to the assassins, but he still looked down on those four guys.


	13. Chapter 13

After looking around, Naruto sat cross-legged. Recovering his strength was most important right now!

Naruto took a deep breath and tried to activate the remaining energy from his dantian. Strangely enough, his dantian had been emptied. The only energy the he managed to scrape up was whatever that was left in his meridians. It was so little, it was pathetic!

At point, Naruto used the path of Nine Tribulations Transcending the Nine Heavens Technique for the first time to recover his energy. Since he was no longer in Beyond the Heavens Sect, he did not have any reservations.

In his previous life, he did practiced Nine Tribulations Transcending the Nine Heavens Technique, but he did not understand one thing. This technique clearly could help him advance in cultivation level quicker, but what category did it belong to? Good or evil? It was, after all, a very strange technique…

When Manager Isago saw that Naruto was trying to recover his energy, he abandoned the thought of talking to him. Instead, he decided to stay on the side and assist him in the process. However, his eyes suddenly opened wide; he could not believe what he was seeing.

Motherf*! This can't be! He just sat down for such a short amount of time, how could he already enter into his meditative state already?

Seeing Naruto's seemingly glistening countenance, Manager Isago rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Meditate, clear the mind, gather thoughts, draw energy from the dantian, and pass it through all the meridians. After many rounds like that, then one can enter the meditative state. That had always been the case; no one was ever exempt. I have been a Great Master for a few decades, and, even though I have not broken through Revered status, can my experience be considered lacking?

Until now, Manager Isago had always abided by this set of rules. Plus, after injuries, it would be especially difficult to do those steps.

How could this person just set his butt down and immediately enter meditative state?

Manager Isago eyes widened; he suddenly felt that his old beliefs have been shattered.

Naruto slowly brought the leftover energy in the meridians to his dantian. After that, he used the paths of Nine Tribulations Transcending the Nine Heavens Technique to slowly move energy through meridians all around his body.

Unexpectedly, the Nine Tribulations sword point from inside his dantian pierced out. It became a sharp force the led the energy like a general leading his troops into battle. All obstacles ahead dissolved into smoke!

At the same time, the sword tip emitted an extremely strange force that continuously nourished Naruto's meridians. The power of Golden Blood Root, which was quietly fortifying his meridians also suddenly woke up. It joined with the force of Nine Tribulations Sword and became fully integrated into Naruto's meridians.

After only one round, the sword tip emitted a strong force making Naruto's meridians expand and created an extremely exuberant feeling!

Outside of his body, Naruto clothes did not cease to flutter. A faint black mist seemed to shoot out of his mouth and nose. Naruto immediately felt relaxed.

Manager Isago stood opposite of him with wide eyes and gaping mouth; he was stunned!

What did I just see?

Oh, God…! Help me… I must be sick! My eyes must have some issues…

This kid just sat down and immediate entered meditative state, but that was not even the half of it. How could he recover after less than one round? Additionally, how could he have a breakthrough in less than the time it take to finish a pot of tea? How can this be?

This strange phenomenon left the famous Fire Saber Great Master completely out of sorts…

Naruto slowly opened his eyes. A sharp sword aura seemed to flash in his gaze and he returned to normal.

The moment he opened his eyes, the hostage and Manager Isago, looking at him, immediately felt an extreme pain. It was as if their eyes were pierced with a red hot needle.

The two of them were both fearless men, but, in this moment, in front of Naruto, there rose a feeling of terror inside them!

It was as if they had come face to face with an ancient demon that was just freed from its seal, bringing with it the force to destroy heaven and earth.

Another breakthrough: Martial Warrior grade four!

If Manager Isago knew that four- five days ago Naruto just advanced from Martial Pupil to Martial Warrior grade one, his eyes would have probably popped out of their sockets. After that he would probably have high blood pressure and die from a blood clot…

"You can have a breakthrough like this? I give up!" Manager Isago eyes rolled and his hands couldn't seem to stop shaking. He looked at Naruto with a gaze full of jealousy.

We're both humans; this was really unfair! Every time I have a breakthrough, it felt as painful as if my skin was being peeled off. As for him, he looked as if he was enjoying the breakthrough…

"How do you feel?" Manager Isago asked, his head felt like it was on fire.

"I only broke through one grade." Naruto frowned, "How can it be so slow? This can't be right…"

Manager Isago staggered, his body shook, "When was your last breakthrough?" He thought to himself: Perhaps this guy was caught in a bottleneck for many years? If that was the case, then it would make some sense.

Naruto scratched his head, rolled his eyes, and answered with some uncertainty, "Maybe four or five days ago. The time span is a little too long this time, that's why I thought it was a little strange…"

Manager Isago's eyes widened and his lips trembled as he shakily pointed his finger at Naruto. Then he suddenly sat on the ground. His face became swollen and red in an abnormal manner. It was as if all of his blood had rushed to his head.

A while later, still dizzy, he stood up. With a pale face, he turned and walked away. His gait somewhat wobbly.

Naruto asked in surprise, "Manager Isago, are you okay?"

Manager Isago seemed to be in a dream state as he muttered, "I am going to sleep. I have not slept for a few days, that's why I am hallucinating…"

The masked man shook his head and exclaimed sincerely, "Before, at Iron Cloud Citadel, I have seen punks acting as if they were loaded by treating money like dirt. Their attitude was deserving of a good beating. I thought they were acting, but today, I have seen what real acting is. With your ability, those punks should be bowing to you and calling you great master!"

Naruto remained silent.

I was just telling the truth! I remembered, in my previous lifetime, I did not just breakthrough one grade but multiple grades at the speed of a flying arrow! But… this breakthrough felt decidedly different!

"Cultivation is about quality. Going slowly and firmly is the ultimate way! You must take step by step; understanding and retaining each step. In your previous life, did you enjoyed soaring on a pig like that, you fool? If it were not for me helping you, you would have been done in a long time ago. Do you know why you could not reach the pinnacle in your previous life? It was exactly because you missed this period of step by step insight!"

"If you want to take everything in one big bite, you will end up choking to death! Do you understand, idiot?" An arrogant voice rang in his head.

Naruto suddenly understood everything. It was true, cultivation in martial arts was the same as maturing in life. From youth to adulthood, you have to learn and understand slowly with time; that was the right way. If there was an elixir to make a newborn become a thirty-year-old, would he be able to truly have the mind of a thirty-year-old?

No wonder even the most powerful could only advance one step at a time. So Nine Tribulations Sword wanted to hold me back so that I can fully comprehend everything with time.

"You are now only but the ink drop! Why not try to find some supplements? If you keep going at turtle pace, when will you be great?"

"Supplements?" Naruto was puzzled, "What supplements?"

"Such as Seven-Star White Magnolia, Nine-Leaf Spirit Root, Purple Air Spirit Star… those can all be used… There's more… you can also use Purple Crystal Jade, Legendary Gold Iron, Star Steel, Nightmare Silver, and Diamond Sand. Eighteen thousand pounds of each should be enough…"

Naruto's arms and legs trembled and he stumbled to the ground!

Unable to control himself, he cursed, "Motherf*! What do you think those things are, vegetables?! They are all legendary herbs! Being able to find 0.1 pound is already fortunate; you want eighteen thousand pounds? Are you delirious?"

Even though Manager Isago and Heaven Canceller was already a distance away, when they hear Naruto roared in anger like that, they both turned around.

The hostage facing Naruto, cried in rage, "Insolent! I want to eat a few pounds of beef! Do you know how hungry I am? You…! Motherf*… This is how you are going to treat a prisoner like me? Insolent, what legendary herbs? In your family, is beef considered legendary? I have never met such country bumpkin!"

So it turned out that guy was hungry, and he was giving Naruto his requests…

Naruto tilted his head, grinned his teeth, and yelled angrily, "Shut up! I will strip you and feed the horses aphrodisiac!"

A moment after, Naruto's eyes flashed fiercely.

The words Naruto said left the man shaking. On his pale face, his mouth opened in despair. He was furious on the inside, but did not dare show any of it. At this point, he finally understood that he had fallen into the hands of a rogue…

Those words he just said, can a normal person say such things?

"These things are needed for when Nine Tribulations Sword levels up." The voice laughed heartily in Naruto's consciousness, "Little brat, let me tell you a piece of good news. So before you open the Nine Tribulations Sword interspace, you will also get a little surprise. You are truly useless; after such a long time and you have yet to discover the vast abilities of Nine Tribulations Sword!"

"Nine Tribulations Sword interspace?" Naruto was surprised.

"Exactly, Nine Tribulations Sword interspace!"

"Wait! Then you… You are not a sword spirit?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, I am Nine Tribulations Sword. But currently… I cannot be one with Nine Tribulations Sword." The voice was full of sorrow, "Damn bastard! Having to find a sword master was bad enough, why did he have to separate the spirit from the sword? Damn, damn…"

"Who?" Naruto felt his heart beat rapidly. Was the sword spirit cursing the mysterious person who created Nine Tribulations Sword?

"I have forgotten who he was." The voice sighed and said, "Only when you get all nine sword fragments then sword and spirit can become one. When you get all nine fragments, then I can fully recover."

"You must patiently search. Those things are not hard to find. There are a lot in this world."

"But… what if I am not lucky enough to find them?" Naruto asked meekly.

"Nine Tribulations Sword cannot be destroyed. Just take your time and search, even if it takes eighteen thousand years."

After finishing this, the sword spirit did not make another sound.

"Ah… eighteen thousand years…" Naruto felt his head spinning and his eyes were seeing spots.

The recovery of Nine Tribulations Swords might seem easy at first glance, but it has been thousands of years, boss. Perhaps it was really easy back then. Those things might have been everywhere. However, do you know it's extremely difficult now? Is this any different from a death sentence?

"Hey, I want to eat!" The hostage yelled, but this time, a little softer, "Even prisoners have to eat. You're not going to let me starve, are you? I'm hungry…"

"Shut up!" Naruto was really unhappy; he suddenly grabbed the hostage's shirt and roared ferociously, "Don't think that I am afraid to kill you! I didn't kill you because you are still of some use… But if you make me lose my patience then cutting your head off would not be a difficult thing!"

"Don't think that I'm afraid to die…" The man yelled angrily, but when he saw the darkness in Naruto's eyes, he shuddered and did not say anything else.

O god! This person is really a demon! As the saying goes, 'a wise man knows when to retreat.'

Naruto stood up and went toward the bonfire. He conveniently chopped off a dead horse's hind leg, pierced it with two arrows from the ground and placed it on the bonfire to roast.

The flickering fire light shone on Naruto's face making it look strangely light and dark at the same time.

"Plump!" Naruto tossed the roasted horse leg in front of the masked man and yelled, "Eat!"

"Horse meat is too sour; I want beef!" The man responded angrily.

"You want beef? You look like beef!" Naruto mocked, "Eat or not, it's up to you." With that, he turned and left.

The man looked like he was trying to swallow down a clump of anger that was stuck in his throat. He looked at the piece of horse meat in his hand and wanted to throw it away, but he knew that if he threw it away then he would starve. The other guy would never relent!

He sighed and mercilessly bit into the horse leg. Then he chewed ferociously, so the gnashing sounds of his teeth grinding could be heard. It was as if it was not horse meat he was chewing, but Naruto…

On the other side, Naruto was clearing the arrows on the ground. He wanted to have a clear area to set up his tent and get a good night sleep.

However, after clearing a few arrows, Naruto's face, which was turned away from other people, suddenly morphed into a strange look. Afterward, he immediately took out his tent and stopped clearing the arrows on the ground. In fact, he chose an area with the most arrows on the ground to put up his tent.

This made everyone very astonished.

Inside the tent, Naruto was terrified beyond belief. He had discovered that as he was clearing the arrows, Nine Tribulations Sword point inside him suddenly reacted sharply.

At that moment, the sword point followed his meridians and went straight to his hand. The instant it came in contact with the arrows there was a tiny "pop" sound. The arrows in his hand were broken into tiny pieces!

Yes, broken into tiny pieces! Or, more accurately, immediately turned into dust!

These arrows were made of fine steel!

This type of arrow was very lethal and they also could be shot over long distances. This was because half of it was made of fine steel, and the end half was made of the finest iron wood. That was how the arrows maintained their balance.

Under Naruto's contact, these fine steel arrows got silently obliterated. How could he not be surprised?

After he finished setting up the tent, Naruto crawled in. He looked at the ground crowded with arrows, and widened his eyes as he gently touched one with his finger…

Sure enough, Nine Tribulations Sword point ran to his finger and suddenly emitted a strong pull. There immediately appeared on Naruto's fingertip a bit of dark iron. The rest of the fine steel on the arrow turned into dust.

What has happened? I never heard anything about Nine Tribulations Sword doing this. Naruto's eyes widened with surprise.

When all of the fine steel arrows in the tent had become dust, the dark iron scraps in Naruto's hand had become a ball the size of a fingertip.

After exercising his internal vision, he also discovered that Nine Tribulations Sword point which was shining brightly now had a tiny spot that had turned black. It was so small that it could easily be missed if not looked at carefully.

"How could this be?" Naruto asked himself.

"That is pure iron! Nine Tribulations Sword swallowed iron essence." That lazy voice from his dantian rang out once again, "What's so strange about that?"

"Huh? Pure iron? Iron essence?"

"Nine Tribulations Sword is the world's top Divine item. There is nothing it cannot swallow, even the human body!" That voice explained, "But what Nine Tribulations Sword swallows is the finest part, the essence. With this fine steel, it is iron essence. What's left behind afterward is pure iron. Even though it is not as good, compared to normal metal, it is already the essence of essences."

The voice continued, "This is also a benefit for the Nine Tribulations Sword master!" It paused a little, "One of the benefits!"

"One of the benefits?" Naruto's head was spinning, "Could it be that there are lots of other benefits?" Naruto's eyes brightened momentarily.

"Yes, anything that falls into your hands, Nine Tribulations Sword can automatically extract its essence; the part Nine Tribulations Sword doesn't need will be left to your disposal after it is purified. Once Nine Tribulations Sword is completely restored, all those benefits will be yours. Only, this is a long time from now, you don't need to know yet."

"I see." Naruto held the tiny pure iron in his hand and seemed to be thinking about something.

"Everything can be swallowed?"

"Of course! There are nothing under the heavens that cannot be swallowed, including the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. But for now, there's only the first fragment of Nine Tribulations Sword so only some metals and medicinal herbs can be swallowed."

"Then…, can this pure iron be used to create weapons?"

"Gibberish! You only need to have enough, then you can control the sword point to help you make any weapon you want. This pure iron is already a treasure that martial artists in this world can only dream of; do you know that? Using pure iron to create weapon, compared to the trash that you people use, it already stronger by a few dozen times!"

Naruto sat on the ground and thought. At this moment, he suddenly had a clear plan.

Going into Iron Cloud Nation through Heaven Canceller was only an impromptu decision! Before this, he did not have any plans. He was just taking it one step at a time, but at this moment, he suddenly had a comprehensive plan!

The plan should be like that. The heavy chunk of pure iron in his hand seemed to have given him an idea, making his eyes suddenly light up…

The next few days were calm. The assassins unhurriedly followed behind them at times and parallel to them at others. They were all unhappy, but could not do anything.

Their original plan was to kill, but now they were more like body guards.

This army of about a hundred was always disciplined and orderly. No matter what locality they were in, there was never any chaos. They were quiet on the road, no one said anything to each other.

This army was more like a black flood that quietly follows you!

Seeing this elite team, Naruto could not help but think to himself: You don't really need much, all of Iron Cloud Nation only needs ten thousand soldiers like these… No, you don't even need ten thousand, only three or five thousand would be enough to sweep over the world…!

Following Naruto's gaze, the masked hostage by his side laughed and said proudly, "These… my martial brothers are not bad, right?"

In this group, because of his special status, even Manager Isago and Heaven Canceller dared not show any disrespect toward him. Only Naruto treated him unceremoniously.

However, he knew it was safest for him to stay close to Naruto, so even though talking with Naruto made him furious at times, he absolutely would not separate and go with someone else in the group.

He believed that even though Naruto was rude toward him, he was the only one that did not want him dead. As for the others, they might be very courteous toward him, but they all wanted to kill him.

A thousand to one chance that they will stab me once they get to a safe place… this was definitely a possibility!

But only Naruto will not do something like that!

"Good soldiers!" Naruto said in a low voice as his eyes glanced in the direction of people and horses that were moving like a black flood.

"Of course they are good soldiers!" the man said proudly, "Otherwise, how could they guard the roy… uh, motherf*! How dare you set me up?"

Naruto quietly rolled his eyes and explained himself sincerely, "You think I am so low as to try to get you to talk?" He shook his head in disdain and said, "If I want to know anything from you, I only need some aphrodisiac then there's nothing I can't find out."

The man immediately shuddered. With his mouth gaping, he looked at the youth as if he was looking at an animal and decided it was wise not to say anything else. This was because he suddenly remembered what Naruto said the other day: "I will strip you and feed the horses aphrodisiac!"

Thinking it over, his hair still stood on end. If that was the case, he surely would not have the ability to resist to such thing…

Finally, one morning, the group finally saw large city walls far ahead of them.

Heaven Canceller and Manager Isago simultaneously breathed let out a sigh of relief.

At last they had arrived in the outskirts of Iron Cloud Nation; there were small towns all around, and government offices here and there. There should no longer be the risk of an assassination!

Because if Heaven Canceller was assassinated at this place, Haku would be furious! All the officials here would probably not be well off either. Therefore, everyone would treat Heaven Canceller as if he was their grandfather.

Sure enough, the citadel's gate was full of fluttering flags. A group of soldiers were coming from the citadel. Obviously to welcome Heaven Canceller!

The group of a hundred still walking on the side simultaneously turned their heads and looked. Manager Isago suddenly turned his head as well, revealing a deadly look in his eyes! If he killed the hostage here, then those hundred people would probably have no way to prevent it!

The atmosphere between two sides became strangely tense.

"You should release me…" the hostage said seeing Manager Isago's ill intent. Before he could finish his sentence, Naruto grabbed the fabric that was restraining him and lifted. He flew off with the two hundred pounds hostage.

Manager Isago was one step too slow. He could not help but stared at Naruto and yelled angrily, "You…!"

There was sudden a "whoosh", the hostage's form flew out by seven or eight meters. A whistle was heard and a horse sped forward. The warrior on the horse raised his arms and caught the man. Then the horse immediately bolted. That man only swung his legs and he was safely sitting on the horse's back.

The hundred black-outfits in masks cheered in unison. Suddenly, the man yelled out an order, and the hundred people simultaneously halted their horses. After that, they went in a circle around Heaven Canceller's group. Behind each mask was a pair of eyes filled with killing aura, enough to give people the chills.

After they made a full circle, the man laughed and yelled, "You little bastard, we will see each other again! At that time, I will strip you and feed the horses aphrodisiac!" He yelled triumphantly as if his being a hostage was not a shameful thing but a glorious achievement.

Naruto was a little surprised. With the thickness of this guy's skin, he felt a little humbled.

"Let's go!"

After that, the man's eyes narrowed and glared in a challenging manner at Manager Isago's people. With a wave, he turned his horse and sped off leading his men. The warriors behind him followed close behind him forming a black river on the road!

The group galloped toward the horizon leaven a large of cloud of yellow dust. In a distance, the man's laughter rang out, "Motherf*! Have you children prepared good wine for me? I have suffered under the abuse of that ruthless guy… These past few days, I couldn't remove my mask; my face is probably as white as those weak rich boys…"

There was a burst of laughter followed by non-stop whistling and yelling; it was chaotic. Clearly, from top to bottom, the group did not see this capture as a disgrace. They did not seem to really mind the fact that they were not able to kill Heaven Canceller either.

It seemed that man's safe return was the most important thing in the world! The fact that the task was not completed… they did not care.

"Why did you let him go?" Manager Isago raised his head and looked at Naruto.

"You cannot walk the Jiang Hu if you do not keep your words!" Naruto answered coldly without any compromise, "Besides, I owe Senior Heaven Canceller and I came to escort him. I have nothing to do with you!"

Naruto said slowly with a little disdain, "If you people were daring enough to kill him right when I caught him, then I would have nothing to say. In fact, I would have even praised you for having great loyalty. Worst case scenario, everyone will become fugitives together. But you waited until you knew you were safe to take revenge. Hahaha… Manager Isago, the title 'Fire Saber Great Master' did not come from that kind of action, right?"

Hearing him said that that, the four surviving guards' faces and ears became red, and could not say a word.

Manager Isago slowly nodded his head and said "Good! Good! Good!"… The word good was repeated three times… His countenance became more and more serious.

Naruto grunted coldly and said arrogantly, "So, did you intended to do away with your savior after you crossed the bridge?" He currently only cared about his target. As for people like these, he did not care for.

Isago was surprised. He glared at him for a while and finally turned and walked away.

In the back, Heaven Canceller sighed and said, "Old Isago, what Naruto did was not wrong. A man should keep his word."

Manager Isago was a distance away. His hunched body paused for a moment and turned around, "Yes, sire. Your teaching is true."

All of a sudden, Naruto was greatly surprised!

This was the first time he had seen Manager Isago talk to Heaven Canceller. He did not expect Manager Isago to treat Heaven Canceller with such respect. This level of respect was that of servant and master.

Manager Isago was famed as 'Fire Saber Great Master'. This was a little unusual.

Naruto's face now showed a pretense of anger, but in his mind, he cannot stop asking himself… Could it be that Heaven Canceller… there is something else special about him?

After two additional days, they finally arrived at Iron Cloud Citadel. In the little towns along the way, Heaven Canceller was greeted with enthusiastic receptions.

However, the attitude of Manager Isago and his people toward Naruto became colder by the day. It got to the point where they just detested him. At this time, Naruto was all alone like a stray wolf.

Naruto was generally indifferent to all of this. He spent every day discussing with Heaven Canceller about various medical issues. This was unexpectedly very interesting to him. Naruto was very savvy and in some instances he also gave some new ideas, making Heaven Canceller feel very enjoyable as well. Therefore, the two were never bored with their discussions.

Naruto used this opportunity to brush up on medical knowledge that he did not understand in his past life. Whether it was in battle or wandering in Jiang Hu, life-saving knowledge was always useful!

Heaven Canceller's journey was basically reported back to Iron Cloud Citadel three times a day. It was even said that the prince of Iron Cloud, Haku, even wanted to welcome Heaven Canceller into the city himself. This type of privilege was definitely grand!

The distance to Iron Cloud Citadel was ten miles away!

On top of Iron Cloud Citadel, flags were fluttering. Suddenly, a group of well-dressed soldiers came of the gate and stood orderly on two sides. Their lines stretched out for about two miles. After that, a group of riders advanced out in the middle of the two lines of soldiers. After more than three miles out, the riders stopped.

The group separated, creating an open space. A youth in a white robe astonishingly appeared. His clothes was completely white, he rode on a white horse… It was as if, in front of the citadel, there was a snow-white flower blooming. A snow-white ice sculpture; precious as jade, and valiant in appearance!

This youth in white wore a purple jade crown; his face was white, his long brows touched his hairline, and his phoenix eyes showed great grandeur. A white robe covered his whole body… at first glance, he looked like a white snow flower, very delicate and scholarly. But the person facing him got an impression that was completely different from that appearance.

He simply sat on the horse's back, but gave the feeling that he was overlooking the whole world.

Prince of Iron Cloud, Haku himself, came out to welcome Heaven Canceller.

At this moment, he was sitting with his right hand gently placed on top of his left. His eyes squinted as he was looking ahead, waiting patiently with a calm countenance.

From a distance, dust rose up along with the gentle rumbling sound of rolling wheels. A group of people appeared on the horizon.

"They're here!" Haku said and immediately got off his horse. His robe still covered his body just like before. He was not tall, but never gave the impression that he was small in stature.

At his side were dozens of people standing vigilant with light flashing in their gazes. Their hands were on the hilts of their swords, covering and protecting Haku in all directions. With such a formation, even if a Martial Emperor attacked, they could still keep Haku safe and sound!

At this moment, Heaven Canceller was stunned.

"Senior Heaven Canceller, you have arrived safely at Iron Cloud. I should say goodbye." Naruto faint a ceremonious farewell. He was like a warrior who just finished his mission.

"Ah?" Heaven Canceller really did not expect that Naruto would bid farewell at this moment.

Could it be that he only wanted to escort me on this journey? Only a simple repayment? And nothing else?

Manager Isago and the four guards were also caught by surprise and raised their heads to look at Naruto.

Naruto gave Heaven Canceller a determined glance and, without waiting for Heaven Canceller to say any words to hold him back, he turned and walked away. His lone figure seemed to be lightened, as if an important burden was lifted!

Looking at his back, they all suddenly felt shameful for misunderstanding him.

He appeared suddenly and journeyed with them for hundreds of miles. If it were not for him then this group would not have survived to arrive at Iron Cloud! If it were not for him then this group would have been annihilated at that thick forest.

But at this hour of success, he decided to leave!

In fact, just two days ago, this group almost got into a fight with him! What ungrateful behavior! Naruto leaving like this left Heaven Canceller with a deep impression of a selfless hero!

Everyone looked at the lone figure as it slowly became a small black dot in front of them… afterward, it disappeared… they could not help but be a little dumbfounded.

Naruto came because he wanted to repay an old debt; this much was verified. However, in everyone mind, Naruto should still have another intention.

Using Heaven Canceller to get into the eyes of the upper crust of Iron Cloud to win wealth and fame; this was really his main purpose, right?

However, at this moment, Naruto's action broke all of their expectations and made them feel that they have "used a small person's heart to measure a good person's intentions"… extremely shameful.

What they did not know was that Naruto departed at just the right time to start his plan.

Manager Isago's group did not even have one bit of suspicion toward him.

Naruto knew that if he followed Heaven Canceller into the citadel, he would conveniently meet Haku. However, his status would not be good.

At best, he would be one of Haku's aides. Then he would have to work hard to once again to find or wait for another opportunity to emerge slowly, step by step.

But who knows when the right opportunity would come along, and Naruto could not afford to wait.

What could easily be obtained would naturally not be cherished. The words applied to men and women. They also applied to love as well as wealth and career!

A wife was not comparable to a concubine, a concubine was not comparable to a lover, and a lover was not comparable to an unrequited love. What cannot be obtained was always the best. Haha… Naruto understood this too well; in truth, this was not without reason.

If Naruto initiated contact, then his importance would never be one that Haku had to invite time and time again. His worth in the prince's eyes would be completely different. Therefore, Naruto was currently putting himself in an advantageous position, and creating an opportunity where Haku would have to invite him three times before he comes.

Originally, when there was no other way, Naruto could only use Heaven Canceller. Now that he had Nine Tribulation Sword's devouring ability, he immediately changed his plan. Now that there were other paths, Naruto would absolutely not be content with just being an insignificant aide!

As for Heaven Canceller, Naruto had put all his efforts into leaving a deep impression. The utility of this would definitely not be wasted. At the least, Haku only needed to mention his name with Heaven Canceller. With these impressions, Heaven Canceller would have some effect on Haku's decision!

With the current situation, what Naruto needed to do right away was to get Haku's attention. Let Haku ask about him, then he would be the one that took the initiative and Naruto would just be the reluctant party!

He only needed Haku to have a little impression of him then his plans can move forward like a horse soaring through the air!

Succeeding in one step was a challenge, but doing something strange to attract Haku's attention, that was his specialty!

Haku's group gathered to wait about 3 miles outside of Iron Cloud Citadel. When they saw Heaven Canceller's carriage appeared in the distance, they were finally relieved.

However, they were suddenly stunned.

A figure separated from Heaven Canceller's group and rapidly approached their direction like a bolt of lightning!

No, it was heading in the direction of the citadel!

From a distance, it came closer and closer. The time that it took that black spot to turn into a small silhouette of a person to a clear figure to a black bolt of lightning was extremely fast!

"So fast!" one of the valiant looking men next to Haku blinked and could not help but praised.

Though the others did not speak, they felt the same way.

This figure was not riding a horse, but was on foot. The speed he was approaching with was extremely fast. In a blink of an eye, he was no longer far from them. When he got a little closer, all of the martial art experts around Haku suddenly got an unsettling feeling!

Because at this moment, the fast moving silhouette was suddenly moving by them!

He lifted his head and looked over in the direction of Haku!

The two gazes were like heavenly swords that cut through the dark sky and met!

The dozen of martial experts around Haku suddenly felt the moment the pair of eyes felt on them that they were completely exposed.

It was as if they were stripped and tossed into an icy field of wind and snow.

All of a sudden, a cold like a thousand mile of icy wind swept from the man's direction. That cold seemed like it could engulf the whole world with ice! It was like a calm sea that was suddenly hit with monstrous waves!

An absolute calm turned into earth shattering agitation in a blink of an eye! This sharp contrast made everyone unable to react in time; especially the guards around Haku, who had heightened senses and were always alert!

There were martial experts on both sides, the air was filled with tension.

However, that person seemed to suddenly sense that something was wrong and immediately took back the cold air. This ability to freely release and take back shocked everyone to the core!

At this time, the gazes of that person and Haku were directly on each other!

Haku had unexpectedly turned around and looked.

Their eyes seemed to have met each other by accident, but they were both shocked!

This seemingly casual gaze was actually deliberate on both sides!

Moreover, both parties only knew that theirs was intentional.

Haku's gaze was preceded by his activation of Emperor Saintly Technique; it brought with it the type of pressure from one of the ultimate position of power. That was paired with Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique that he cultivated since his childhood!

From one glance, Haku was able to perceive one thing from the other person's speed, momentum, and gaze. The person in front of him was an extremely dangerous character! If that person was a friend, he would be of great help. If that person was an enemy, he would be a formidable one!

Separated by more than ten yards, two people and four eyes faced each other. In their mind, there suddenly rose a subtle feeling. As if they should never have met each other; this impossible encounter of friend or foe that should never have been now suddenly meet in this chaos of space and time!

Naruto was very aware of this feeling. At this moment, in front of his eyes, it seemed as if time and space was grounded and mixed. The two different worlds of previous life and this suddenly mixed together!

This was an extremely mysterious feeling.

A meeting completely outside of fate!

On the outside, Haku's gaze looked ordinary, but it was actually created by the combination of Emperor Saintly Technique and Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique. He wanted the other person's first impression to be that of invincibility, and the feeling that 'This person was a heavenly borne king.'

He only needed to seed such feelings, then it would be of great help when he solicits this person in the future. Later, cooperation with this person would have a greater chance of going smoothly!

At this moment, Haku naturally thought that the other person was simply passing by, that he was unprotected against such a gaze. In fact, whether it was in conflict or just simple conversations, people usually paid attention the eyes of the other person. But who would think that a gaze could have such an effect?

And Naruto's gaze was even more deliberate!

For this gaze, he even brought out all of the cold energy from Seven Shades Congregation Grounds in the Nine Tribulations Sword point to create an icy atmosphere like a thousand-mile wide field of ice and snow. This gave him an advantage in his aura beforehand, then he gathered all of the thoughts and determinations from his heart for this gaze!

This one gaze must give a lasting impression on Haku!

Naruto's gaze was sharp, arrogant, and wild like the king of the wolves in northern grassland; sharp like sword and cold as ice. His eyes were filled with ruthlessness!

Under this gaze, the living things in the world were like ants to be killed without a care! All of Nine Heavens were no more than grass to be trampled!

However, Haku's gaze was a peaceful, warm and calm like the quiet surface of a pond. Like an ocean accepting thousands of tributaries, limitless domination… Or it could also be said that he was condescendingly watching over the people from the clouds up high with a regal gaze that got scattered by the wind to the people below!

I am the emperor!

All under the heaven belongs to me; it is only natural that all shall bow to me!

One side was intentional, one side inadvertent but also intentional. Without prearrangement, they have collided with full force!

This was a duel of power!

But this duel had no outcome. If Naruto's gaze was the ocean's waves then Haku's was the rocks. The waves rolled and did not cease to push forth. The rocks stood and remained unmoved.

In the end, would the rocks break the waves? Or would the waves cover the rocks? How could it be clearly determined who will win and who will lose?

However, that one gaze of Naruto was like a strong cold wind blown from all directions on Haku's troop. With a swoosh, he became an illusion that disappeared at the citadel's gate.

From beginning to end, Naruto's gaze never changed.


	14. Chapter 14

Haku's gaze slowly recovered, as he seemed to think about something.

It was as if it was just a coincidental encounter; a very brief one.

In fact, to the people with Haku, this was just a chanced meeting!

"That was really a scary person." Behind Haku, more than a dozen martial experts with their martial energy activated finally breathed a sigh of relief. Their faces serious. For some, there were even a few drops of cold sweat on their noses. There were some loud pops at their feet. Some people did not manage to control their energy well, so their sudden release of martial energy caused the earth beneath their feet to burst!

A moment ago, they felt as if they were tossed into a field of ice and snow, chilling their bodies.

Although the person just flew by and there were no actions taken against them, everyone fell into a state of fear as if a sharp sword ripped through the air with intentions to kill with indomitable power that cannot be stopped!

"Really scary? How scary?" Haku slowly asked as he looked thoughtfully in the direction Naruto just went.

"This person, based on his momentum and his eyes, it could be presumed that he must be the world's leading killer!" A person in blue next to Haku took a deep breath and continued in a judicious tone, "At least, this person's target was not you, prince. Because when he looked at you there was not one bit of killing intent in his eyes… only indifference."

When he said this, more than a dozen people around immediately thought: facing the prince of a country, facing this grand ceremony and being so dismissive… his resolve and determination was beyond doubt.

This group of martial experts could not think of anyone in Jiang Hu like this. This person was clearly very young, at most seventeen or eighteen years old. Of all the talented youths in jiang hu, they could not seem to find one that matched him. Who was this person?

"Oh?" There appeared a faint smile on Haku's white jade-like face; he said gently, "A scary person, how truly interesting! He did not see me as a target, then it is very likely that he is not an enemy. And if he is not an enemy, then he could not possibly be a friend?"

He turned around and looked at Heaven Canceller's carriage. Tie Bu Tan mused, "Did it seem like that person just split up from Physician Heaven Canceller's earlier? Before that there was no signs of him! Then it must be that he was part of Heaven Canceller's group, right?"

Everyone turned and looked at each other. They could not help but nodded.

This was very obvious.

"Such a martial expert was part of Heaven Canceller's group, then Heaven Canceller must know this person very well." Haku calmly spoke, "And this person was heading into Iron Cloud Citadel…"

His eyes brightened as he laughed and said, "How could we let go of such talent? Quickly send two people and see if they could catch up to him. Regardless of whatever might happen, no one is allowed to get into an altercation with him."

Two men behind him nodded and split from their ranks, whipped their horses and rode at top speed. With sounds of hooves thundering, within seconds, they disappeared at the citadel gate.

Without turning around, Haku slightly waved his sleeve and said, "Follow me to welcome Divine Physician Heaven Canceller."

Naruto faced Haku for only a moment before leaving like a whirlwind, but by the time he entered the citadel the tremor in his heart still did not subside and he still had not managed to calm down.

"How could it be?" Naruto's mind was full of doubts, "How could it be Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique? How could he know Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique? It is not strange that he knows Emperor Saintly Technique. It belongs to Iron Cloud Nation's royal family and has been passed down for generations. But he… clearly used Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique as well! Why?"

Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique belonged to the Divine clan. Moreover, it has very special requirements for cultivation. Either very feminine men can cultivate or, for maximum effect, virgin maidens.

For masculine men to cultivate this Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique, they would probably not achieve anything from it in their entire lifetime. What Naruto found strangest was, based on the powerful position of Prince Haku, he could cultivate any technique. Why did he have to cultivate Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique?

Regardless, this Prince Haku of Iron Cloud Nation had also left a deep impression on Naruto. Especially those eyes: clear as water, cold as ice, but calm and peaceful, benevolent, unimaginably deep…

But Naruto's deepest impression was: These beautiful eyes almost seemed like they did not belong in the human world…

When his thoughts reached this point, Naruto could not help but laugh: This prince seemed valiant, but perhaps too handsome; so much so that he almost seemed like a sissy! An example of white face wealthy young master. The fact that he cultivated Icy Heart Jade Bone Saintly Technique was actually not all that surprising now that he thought it over…

Heaven Canceller's carriage finally appeared in front of everyone. Manager Isago lifted the curtain, and Heaven Canceller slowly stepped out.

Haku took one step forward, and bowed deeply, "Senior Heaven Canceller had a long and rough journey… I, Haku, welcome you to Iron Cloud Citadel."

His voice was cool and bright with a degree of calmness.

"His Royal Prince is too kind. This old man is not so talented that your majesty has to come all the way here to greet me. I am too fearful to receive such kindness." Heaven Canceller hurriedly paid his respect, his face showing a little excitement.

"You do not need to be modest. You only need to treat my father's condition, then you will be a great benefactor of all of Iron Cloud Nation! Whatever privilege is still just ordinary." Haku smiled and politely stretched out his arm, "Senior Heaven Canceller, this way please!"

Heaven Canceller said, "Your majesty, please lead the way!"

Then he turned around, heading towards his carriage amidst cheers of the people at the citadel's gate.

"Senior Heaven Canceller, there is something I wish to learn from you." Haku smiled and said, "Earlier, I saw a person from your group moved as if he was flying; his speed was extremely fast. Was that person part of Senior Heaven Canceller's group?"

"Oh, you can say that person is a child of my old friend. Speaking of this person, it cannot be left unsaid that he is really a good person. He is judicious, loyal and filial. He is also courageous, prudent and skilled in martial art. Even though he is still young, he truly a noble man."

Heaven Canceller sadly shook his head, and brought up Naruto's "history" once again. He was especially emphatic about the ambush. And finally concluded with a sigh, "If he were not there, then I am afraid I would not have been able to see you today. Moreover, this person is incredibly talented. He is thorough, never forgets, and full of wisdom; he could be called a hero of our day!"

Heaven Canceller's voice was full of respect for Naruto. He truly spared no effort in advertisement. Plus his tone was clearly sincere and heartfelt.

If Naruto had remained with him up to this point, then the result would probably not be like this.

Heaven Canceller also has a touch of regret. On the way, he had more than once brought up the idea of taking Naruto as his student to teach him about medicine. In fact, when they were almost to their destination, Heaven Canceller poured out his heart, "… Naruto, I feel as if this journey to Iron Cloud would be the last for me. If you still do not accept my proposal, I am afraid all of my medical knowledge will be lost…"

With this much sincerity, and yet Naruto still refused.

Heaven Canceller sighed dejectedly. Even though he had no hope of having Naruto as a student, he still decided to give him his "Immortal Medicine," his life's work, as well as an incomplete "Medicinal Herbs Bible."

"This 'Medicinal Herbs Bible' was created using my medical knowledge. At this point in my life, I am still not able to fully understand more than fifty percent of the medicinal herbs in existence. As for 'Immortal Medicine,' this is my life's work. If you are willing to learn from it, then good. Otherwise, please help me pass it on to the later generations." Heaven Canceller seemed to have entrusted Naruto with this.

These two books became Naruto's biggest unexpected gains during this trip!

In Heaven Canceller's mind, even though Naruto did not become his pupil, he still essentially passed down all of his medical knowledge to him. With his superb impression of Naruto, he would naturally give his all.

Beside him, Manager Isago snorted. He thought that if Naruto did really intend to leave them, then he would not have entered Iron Cloud Citadel. However, because he was currently a little sorry toward Naruto for misunderstanding him, he felt guilty and did not voice any objections.

Anyway, that youth's disdain for wealth and fame did not seem fake…

"Senior Heaven Canceller is truly benevolent; the world is covered with your good deeds. After hearing this, my respect for you has increased by one part." Haku smiled and said, but his eyes brightened as he secretly noted these two words "Naruto Yang."

Currently, it could be said that Iron Cloud Nation was desperate for good people.

If it were not for Prince Haku managing Iron Cloud Nation's military and creating Yuki Pavilion to greatly strengthen the country's power, then Shinno would have sent his army north already!

For Haku, he could not afford to let any talent go at this point! Let alone a "scary" talent like this.

Haku's countenance immediately became cold, and said quietly to the person in blue besides him, "Send orders for Jiraiya to come to Iron Cloud Citadel. Tell him that if he cannot give me a clear explanation as to why Physician Heaven Canceller was ambushed, then his body need not come, his head would be enough!"

Jiraiya, the Great Commander of Iron Cloud Nation, was also in charge of the Southwest Iron Cloud territory bordering Great Sky! He was ranked tenth amongst the commanders of the continent!

While he only ranked last in this list of the top ten great commanders, this was not an honor that could be achieved with just simple bravery…

The fact that Haku had brought up Jiraiya's name at this moment naturally meant that he had concluded, based on the timing and tactics of the ambush, it was without a doubt Jiraiya's doing!

The person in blue concurred, but the edge of his mouth could not help but twitch as he thought to himself: Oh, old Jiraiya, you are in such bad luck now… Although, I also wanted to do what you did…

Turning back, Haku's smiling face was friendly and calm, "Senior Heaven Canceller must have been frightened."

Heaven Canceller continually said he dared not; somehow, when he looked at Haku's congenial and warm face, he felt a chill down his spine.

It was as if that guilty act committed against his medical ethics years ago was placed under the eyes of the person in front of him…

Perhaps, could Iron Cloud Citadel really be my final resting place after all? Heaven Canceller stared at the tall citadel wall not too far away, his eyes seemed lost. After that he went back to his carriage. With a calm countenance, he waved the signal to move toward Iron Cloud Citadel.

Whether it was a blessing or a curse, he was already here… What should not have been done was done, and someone would have to take responsibility.

A group of people lost in their own thoughts, unconsciously went toward the citadel. After entering the citadel, Heaven Canceller's carriage went straight to the royal palace.

Haku also could not wait any longer. His royal father's illness had become more serious with each day. He was so anxious he wanted to force Heaven Canceller to treat his father's illness immediately. As for other national issues, he had tossed them aside.

He also knew that being able to invite Heaven Canceller was probably part of Shinno's plans. He had allowed Heaven Canceller to come here; it was obviously not out of good intentions.

He probably allowed Heaven Canceller to treat my father's condition to weaken my authority.

However, even knowing this was a trap, Haku could only happily jump into it! It was his own father! Not just an emperor but his own flesh and blood!

That night, Haku did not return to Yuki Pavilion until very late.

The two people that took the task of following Naruto earlier had been waiting for a long time.

"Have you found that person?" Haku asked gently. He raised his left arm, which seemed a bit thin and weak, and rubbed his brows, showing some exhaustion.

"We are incompetent; we were not able to find the whereabouts of this man." One person bowed and said, "After this person enter Iron Cloud Citadel, he suddenly disappeared from our grasp. We searched everywhere but was not able to pick up any scent of him."

"Send more people to search." Haku rubbed his brows and sighed. He switched hands, rubbed his temple and added, "Do not disturb the people. For Iron Cloud right now, even the little bit of strength of the people is important! You absolutely cannot create any sort of chaos."

"Yes," they replied, then said worriedly, "Your highness, I noticed you have been overworked of late, perhaps… we should get someone to help you relax a little?"

"Good, call Iroha in to massage me." Haku did not decline, but his countenance seemed to showed more weariness.

"Yes." The two men in black backed down.

Haku frowned. He seemed lost in thoughts as his brows came together in worry. Inside his head, Heaven Canceller's prognosis after examining his father rang out, "Your highness, your father's illness has gone on for many years. Moreover, the poison still remains in his body. Over the years, it has seeped into his bones and marrow. Medicines or acupuncture would have difficulty intervening… I can only try my best, but I am afraid it would be up to fate."

Haku sighed heavily.

Seeped into bones and marrow. Medicines and acupuncture would have difficulty intervening. These words were like sharp cuts in Haku's heart. "Father, is there really no hope left?"

A palace maid named Iroha came in, but when she saw Haku was deep in his thoughts, she dared not disturb and just stood on the side.

After a long time, she heard a deep sigh from Haku, there was something glistening on the side of his eyes.

The prince… is crying?

This strong Prince Haku, who held the whole Iron Cloud Nation on his shoulders, was now in tears?

Iroha's heart was suddenly filled with sympathy.

Only people close to the prince like her would know how hard things have been for him all these years. The price he has to pay in order to race against Shinno!

From his childhood until now, these past ten years, the prince has slept less than four hours each day!

A whole nation, thousands of thousands of lives depended on him. Shinno and Great Sky Nation, superior intellect and massive strength, were always like a large mountain bearing down on his heart.

If it was someone else, I am afraid this nation would have fallen already!

But Haku used his young body to bear this weight!

He was too tired! He needed someone to help him…

Haku sighed and said sadly, "Iroha, help me massage my temple."

Those words sounded as if he already knew she was there, but Iroha knew that when he is in such a trance, he would not be able to perceive her presence. This was because Haku never showed his weakness to anyone!

Haku lifted his head and looked at Iroha, his eyes returned to their normal brightness; they did not even need time to change. He had returned to the original splendor of reigning Prince Haku of before!

Iroha immediate responded and walked forward gently. The prince is already very tired! What I should do is use all of my ability to make him feel a little better…

But after lying down just for a bit, Haku suddenly remembered something and sat back up. His brows came together, and, after thinking for a long while, he said, "Send someone to see If Sakumo and Miss Tsunade of Beyond the Heavens Sect went to sleep already. If they have not, ask them to come here."

He had suddenly remembered earlier today Heaven Canceller seem to have referred to Naruto as: Expelled disciple of Beyond the Heavens Sect!

The two words 'expelled disciple' baffled Haku. A person like that, in any sect, would be a top character; guarded like a treasure and nurtured with every available resource. How could he have been kicked out of the sect?

I have had contact with Beyond the Heavens Sect's Master, Hiruzen Sarutobi, several times. He is definitely not stupid like that. Could there be some hidden secrets behind this? Or perhaps some conspiracy? Or some other reasons?

Iroha hesitated for a moment and politely replied, "Yes."

At this time, Haku lay down once again. Even when he was lying down, his white cloak still completely cover his body, not showing even a little bit of his figure.

Shortly after, the two people, Sakumo and Tsunade arrived.

After a long time, as he looked at Sakumo and Tsunade leaving, Haku seemed to be contemplating something as he lay back down.

Naruto, according to Sakumo and Tsunade's words, was not the same person as Naruto according to Heaven Canceller's words! As for the expelled disciple story, the two did not know the whole story. They only received news from the sect that Naruto killed his eldest martial brother, and thus violated the laws of Beyond the Heavens Sect. The fact that he was not killed on the spot was extremely lenient!

Haku frowned slightly. A very long time after, he muttered something unclear, "This Naruto is extremely interesting." His voice was so low that, besides himself, no one else would have been able to hear it.

After Naruto entered the citadel, he immediately changed his face a bit. He walked straight and then suddenly turned into a narrow alley. After that, he took two more turns. When he came back out, his appearance was that of a completely different person. He was about thirty years old with a mean face and a slight hunched back.

Every step was perfectly imitated; he was just like a real hunchback.

It was not that he did not want to be found by Haku's people; he just wanted to accumulate some capital before they find him. After all, if he wanted to fortify his status, he needed power and money!

Therefore, Naruto decided if he was going to do this task he would do it well! In broad daylight, he initiated his money-making tactics! But his 'tactics' were a little unscrupulous…

The reason why Shinno wanted Iron Cloud Nation so much was because Iron Cloud had countless iron mines! Plus, most of them were fine iron mines! This was also why Iron Cloud Nation could afford to be so extravagant, even arrows of ordinary soldiers were half made of fine steel.

It should be noted that even though Great Sky was rich, but their soldiers' arrows only had fine steel tips and the rest was wood.

Moreover, Iron Cloud Nation was bordering the grassland, belonging to the north. The people were sturdy, strong fighters. If they did not take over Iron Cloud Nation first, Great Sky Nation, regardless of which direction they sent their military, would remain uneasy because of this thorn in their sight.

After exiting a narrow alley, Naruto immediately ran into a fat man walking by.

This guy had a fat face, big ears and womanizing eyes that glared here and there. His clothes were not too fancy, and his walk was somewhat cumbersome. It seemed that he was not some powerful character that would be difficult to deal with. Plus, beside gazing at the young ladies and women, he avoided others; he was the cowardly type that was afraid of trouble…

Step by step, Naruto walked like a vicious demon, and grabbed his sleeve. Then he immediately turned back into that narrow alley, pulling that fat man with him.

Naruto's action was really fast. As a result it looked like a figure just flashed by and that disgusting fat man disappeared from sight…

That fat man was caught off guard so his whole body shook and did not even dare to beg loudly, "Great… great man, I have an old mother and young children, this… this…"

"What this and that!" Naruto glared fiercely and yelled, "I will tell you. I am none other than Five Flower Mountain's Arashi Kazama from outside the citadel! Today I entered the citadel with the intention of doing some business. I liked the way you look so I wanted to show you a way to make a fortune!"

"Five Flower Mountain… Arashi Kazama?" The fat man shook as he looked at Naruto's 'hunched back'; scared almost to the point of fainting. Suddenly, managed to squeeze out one phrase by some mysterious force, "Great… great man, my lord, there is no Five Flower Mountain outside of this citadel…"

"Bop!" Naruto slapped him and said, "You don't need to worry whether there is Five Flower Mountain or not. I only have one question for you. Do you want to die or do you want to live?

"Live, of course I want to live. My lord, please spare me." The fat man answered most fluidly.

"Quickly, tell me about Iron Cloud Citadel." Naruto said cruelly, "Tell me everything. If you leave out any details, I will use your fat for my lamp!" After he finished talking, he clasped his hands together. The sound of his joints cracking immediately rang out; that combined with his ferocious gaze really scared the man witless.

Of course, he needed to have a clear picture of Iron Cloud Citadel.

The fat man's body became mush as he sat paralyzed on the ground. On his face, tears and snot ran down. At first, his pants was just wet. Afterwards, there was a stream along with a stinky smell…

An hour passed, and Naruto quickly stepped out of the narrow alley with his hand on his nose. He went a distance away before taking in big breaths of the clean air.

Oh, mother. I almost died of suffocation. That was really stinky.

Later in the conversation, that fat man, perhaps because of great fear, started having gastrointestinal issues and farted nonstop while talking and shaking. This made Naruto really annoyed!

Even though this fat man was not exactly educated, he was indeed familiar with Iron Cloud Citadel!

From south to north, from east to west, he gave Naruto a very detailed introduction. Even if it was down an alley way, whose daughter was particularly voluptuous, which lady was truly beautiful, whose maid was really flirty… All told in great details.

"That girl's skin is white as ivory, the body has beautiful curves in front and back, that b* has seductive almond eyes…"

Which house has lots of money, which house has lots of power… Divided the citadel into clear areas, where the business districts were inside the citadel, where the mines were outside the citadel…

Which house should not be messed with, which house should be avoided, etc.

Hearing everything made Naruto dizzy. Finally, following the fat man's direction, he went out to buy a map.

The moment he was a good distance away, that fat man shakily stood up on his two fat legs. Like a weak willow in the wind, he leaned on the wall. After that, with dripping pants, he ran. Wherever he went, he emitted the smell of a public toilet, making everyone hold their nose and look in surprise…

"Who says there are no brigands inside the city? Motherf*! That's just gibberish. Do brigands discriminate cities and villages? Look at that Arashi Kazama, his eyes turned green when he heard about the houses with money…"

The fat man cried.

That hateful guy not only scared me half to death; he also took my precious banknote along with a few pieces of silver before leaving!

He even said he was doing work in heaven's stead. Before leaving, he told me 'I take your money to eliminate trouble for you; you need not mind. My heart is good.'

Motherf*! If everyone has a good heart like you, all the people in this world would have been dead a long time ago.

Brother, I already showed you the way. If you want to find people to do heaven's work for, or if you want to look for those voluptuous girls, I will not get in your way. I just hope you won't look for me; I am not rich at all!

Fatty prayed as he walked.

That afternoon, Naruto immediately left the citadel to go to the mining area. If he wanted some iron then he must come here. Before he left, Hiruzen Sarutobi gave him a thirty thousand silver taels banknote. It might sound like a lot, but it was barely anything for buying iron.

"Sorry, our Iron Cloud Nation has very strict control on iron!"

Naruto had to painfully spend one thousand for 'business relations', in order buy a little iron at a cutthroat price. Of his thirty thousand, more than half was now gone.

After only one night, Naruto looked at the block of fine iron and was almost in tears.

There was no other way, he had to use up the rest of the money. In the blink of an eye, a rich man full of money like him had turned into a pauper. But it was still not enough for what he needed. Naruto was angry, his eyebrows pinched together as he dumped his anger into thin air.

Money! What's most important right now is money!

'A coin can force a good man to die!' He used to laugh at this saying and call it a joke. A coin can force an idiot to die, but me? Hahaha…

His eyes suddenly emitted a green light, like a wolf's eyes in the night.

The next day, the wealthy houses of Iron Cloud Citadel discovered they had been robbed.

The thief was very clever; he visited many homes unseen during the night without leaving a trace. It was still early in the morning when numerous members of the big houses could barely breathe looking at their empty treasury.

If a few hundred thousand mice got into a granary, it would not have been so empty! At most, there would be a few scrap pieces left behind! This heartless thief spared nothing, making the owners stomped in such anger that was enough to shake the whole citadel.

Their stomps were answered with only dust flying in the air…

Gold all gone, silver all gone, treasures all gone, everything was cleaned out! So clean that even a mouse would have cried and left. This thief was too cruel!

All the guards did not hear anything, not even a shadow was seen!

Amongst the wealthy people, there was old man Li who put his banknotes under his pillow for safekeeping. When he saw his treasury emptied, he thought he still has some consolations. Unfortunately, when he went to check, he was rendered unconscious with a punch. And when he came to, he discovered his banknotes totaling tens of thousands silver teals had disappeared.

He also vaguely saw a hunched back…

In every treasury, there was a line left behind to show how honorable this pirate was. The words were, 'The name will never change, rob from the rich and give to the poor, Five Flower Mountain's Arashi Kazama!'

Whoever did this really had a heroic air.

The next morning, Iron Cloud Citadel's courthouse's door was knocked loudly by the many people seeking redress. They were all big bosses who were crying loudly and banging on the door as if they wanted to shatter it for revenge. As time passed, the front of the courthouse became even more chaotic with the sounds of screaming and crying everywhere.

The crying sounds were so miserable, making even bystanders shed tears as well.

But the officials of Iron Cloud Citadel just sat coldly on the sideline; some even gloated a little when they saw such a scene.

These officials simply wrote up a report and sent these bosses home to wait for their news.

The reason behind this was that these rich people were not exactly good themselves. They were normally arrogant with their noses in the air; they would sell their morals for money. Even when Prince Bu Tian was collecting money to build the army, these stingy men all said that they had no money to spare and their families were at the brink of starvation.

The brink of starvation, huh? Then how could you lose hundreds of thousands taels of silver and gold? You are really poor!

You people didn't have any money, right? What could you have that the thieves actually want? Now you want us to hunt down the thieves for you. Even if we could, we would rather say we couldn't.

Putting everything into the military fund would be best.

However, the wanted notice to capture Five Flower Mountain's Arashi Kazama was sent out quickly. This was still a vicious, greedy criminal. Of course, they had to bring him to justice!

In one night, fifty to sixty rich houses were robbed, it was surely not just one person. If ignored, the danger would be immeasurable.

The entire Iron Cloud Citadel law enforcement were busy for the next few days. During these days, even though they did not manage to capture Arashi Kazama, they did grab a handful of petty thieves.

Outside of the courthouse, at small corner some distance away, an ornately dressed fat man watched the wealthy people cry and scream to the heavens. His eyes widened, his lips shook, and his face turned blue. It looked like his butt had been sitting on that chair for a long time.

God…! This was the doings of that Arashi Kazama! I swear what he did had nothing to do with what I said.

This thief is too fierce!

Luckily, he caught me earlier on. Otherwise, I would probably be of those crying people.

In truth, Naruto's actions were very precise. He directly aimed at those stingy people thanks to that fat man. Because that guy was shameless and base, he naturally hung out with birds of the same feather.

When his life was threatened by Naruto, he did not pay any mind to friendship! Even though there actually were some upstanding business people who were enthusiastic about public welfare, they rubbed people like this fat man the wrong way. Under duress, he blurted out the names that he was most familiar with.

The fat man covered his ears from all the crying, and turned his fat butt to go back home. F*! I am now the richest! Haha! You guys normally looked downed on me saying I have no money. Now, haha, who would dare compare themselves to me?

Thank you Arashi Kazama!

Three days later, Naruto opened an ordinary shop on the busy main street two blocks from the prince's manor.

It was a three-story house; yesterday it was still a tea shop, but today the front had changed. Three groups of workers were busy with the renovations for one day and one night.

The old owner thought it was a little weird, but after seeing a pile of shiny gold, immediately cooperated and moved away.

How could he not accept? His shop was worth a little over fifty taels of gold, but the other person threw out two hundred taels. Plus, the other person did not want anything inside the shop. With that amount of money, he could easily find a better place to open shop. Not accepting would be foolish.

So this place now belonged to the rich and powerful man with the surname Naruto.

On the plaque that faced towards the busy street, three flamboyant characters "Heavenly Armament Pavilion" shined in their gold lacquered brilliance. It made half of the street shine with a blinding golden colored radiance.

The couplets on both sides were written on silver billboards with gold writings. The entire setup seemed to give off the taste of the nouveau riche. Anyone who passed by would immediately notice a heavy stench of money coming at them head on.

On the billboards were: Cutting through steel as if it were mud is not a dream, an eye-opener for you!

And below: I, your father, have all sorts of divine weapons. Come quickly if you want them!

Streamer: No need to wait!

Leaning against the door, was a sign: Heavenly Armament Pavilion is open to money, those with little silver need not enter. Millions of silver taels is barely enough, a million gold taels does not count as rich. Heavenly treasures are yours to take; the moment you enter you will be satisfied.

Evidently, this was not only a nouveau riche, but it looked like he was not that educated as well. An extremely tacky appearance from the house to the billboard. Even the words were crooked and full of evil intent. It was as if a rat's tail was dipped in ink and wine was forced down the rat's mouth. Finally, the rat drew those words by dragging its tail after it was dead drunk.

Big Boss Naruto sat inside waiting, intent on fleecing the fat sheep that came calling, waiting for fish to willingly and knowingly take the bait.

It should be noted that, preparing for several days and nights was pretty tiring for Naruto, but it was also pretty exciting.

This taste of unearned wealth really was fantastic. Goddamn, no wonder so many people wanted to be thieves. He only needed to stretch out his hand, and he could take their gold or silver. This was really too easy.

Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. Hmm, it could be also be considered that. At that time they were oozing with money while he was poor to death. Robbing a little for himself, was that not the same thing?

The moment this Heavenly Armament Pavilion opened, it made all the people who saw it open their eyes wide in shock. Too arrogant, too outrageous! Since times past no one had ever seen anyone who tried to run a business this way!

This was not even about trying to run a business anymore, but purely trying to offend people! Moreover this was tormenting yourself to offend other people.

Suddenly, Heavenly Armament Pavilion became the biggest joke since Iron Cloud's founding, and the name began to rapidly spread out.

"Hey hey, quickly go and check it out, there is an extreme leveled lunatic opening a shop in bright daylight right over here!"

In a flash, the outside of the Heavenly Armament Pavilion was filled with a large number of gawkers. With nothing to do and since everyone was idle anyway, going to look at this idiot was not such a bad thing.

But everyone was also feeling a bit strange. This idiot can show off anywhere, but did he have to come to Iron Cloud Citadel's most bustling imperial street to get shamed? This person's brain didn't go bad, right? But if it really is an idiot… where did he get so much money to open this shop?

Inside Big Boss Naruto sat with his two legs crossed. On the counter in front of him there was not a single divine weapon in sight; the only thing there was a cup of tea, steam and tea fragrances slowly spiraled from the cup into the air. Big Boss Naruto's head was also in this spiral of tea fragrance, nodding from one point to the other. This really was too sleepy…

At the left wall near the inner door hung a long sword, a great saber, a short sword, and a short saber. It seemed like these four articles are the only merchandise with which he opened up shop with, and are the "divine weapons" that he was prepared to sell. On the outside, the chaotic mess of people was at the same time speaking in wonder, sighing, and laughing. Naruto turned a deaf ear to this. As the ones he wanted to do business with were not these people anyways.

Moreover, Naruto's memory of his past life clearly told him that Iron Cloud Nation perhaps did not care about other things, but "Heavenly Armament", these 2 words will certainly touch Iron Cloud's leadership's most sensitive nerve!

"Get out the way! Get out of the way! A good dog does not block the road, this means you! Oh you don't submit, do you?" In the distance came unreasonable sounds of yelling, a few dark haired large men with unbuttoned collars were walking over this way, the way they walk reminiscent of crabs. Wherever they went, the crowd there was like seeing the plague and scattered to avoid them.

"What 'heavenly armament pavilion'? My god such an upstart." said a dark haired big man with a face that had a huge mole growing on it, and on this mole there was a long thick tuft of black hair as well. This person used slanted eyes to look at the plaque saying "Heavenly Armament Pavilion". And with his nose in the air, suddenly and furious yelled "His mother, is this person poor to the point that he became insane? Not a lot silver, then don't come in? I don't have a lot of silver, but I still want to go in!"

"Big Brother… Big Brother…" On his side, the smaller man who was just looking left and right surprisingly yelled, "Thi- thi- this is all silver! Pure silver!" This guy was pointing towards the plaque while jumping and shouting as if having a stroke.

"Silver?" The person squeezed the plaque a bit doubtful, suddenly his tone of voice changed "My god, this really is silver!"

The eyes which looked up at the plaque suddenly changed, it become greedy and malicious.

"Who is the boss inside? Come out! Come out!" His voice was almost hoarse, his Adam's apple moved up and down swallowing rivers of saliva. "F* me, I don't even need to ask for anything else, I only to take away this plaque and it would be enough."

"You want to buy something?" Naruto folded his arms, and slowly came out. There was no other way; in this entire Heavenly Armament Pavilion there was only him alone, for he was both the manager and the worker.

The moment he came out to look, Big Boss Naruto's nose almost became crooked from the anger.

I am preparing to catch big fishes, but before the big fishes even came I first attracted a group of the local hooligans? This is too f*ing unlucky, isn't it?

"This shop was opened by you?" That person asked with his nose in the air.

"What?" Naruto was in a bad mood, so his tone naturally would not be good as well.

"What? My god you really have a temper do you? It seems you do not know who is in front of you do you?" the dark haired big man stretched forth one hand intending to seize this damn kid in front of him by the collar, and give him a beating.

"Get lost!" Naruto gave a low yell, with a glare in his eyes. Then his two arms rose up and suddenly from his body, burst out a layer of visible black smoke. It contained an overwhelming feeling of evil killing intent and a freezing chill, which rushed toward the other group.

That dark haired big man was just a small fry on these streets. Not only that, he was not even a martial pupil. He only relied on his two arm's strength to bully other people. How could he withstand this soul attack that was at the level of a revered martial artist?

The dark haired big man had just finished a word when he suddenly felt a chill, then he was hit head-on by a killing aura that shook his very soul. His two eyes began to roll back, and then he began to feel like he had sunk into an endless nightmare.

It seemed as if countless demonic ghouls that were bleeding from many orifices rushed upon him from all directions, from both heaven and hell.

"Ahhhhh…" After uttering a scream that was not like any which a human can voice, the dark haired big man staggered back. Suddenly his two hands clung to his head, and he began rolling back and forth on the floor, while crazily screaming, "Mercy, no! I didn't do it, mercy, mercy, ahhhhh…"

He suddenly jumped up and turned to escape; but in just a single step he fell back on to the ground in a tumble, blood started to flow, and he lay paralyzed on the ground. It seemed that he couldn't even stand up anymore, but he still desperately crawled forward. As he was crawling away, the crotch of his pants gradually became wet…

Only that piercing cry for mercy echoed slowly in the sky.

His two younger bros who came along with him did not even understand what just happened, but had seen their big bro becoming like that in a blink of an eye. He had changed from being very normal to being such a terrifying sight, they both felt a sudden chill though the air and couldn't help but let out a cry. Then, to the left and to the right, they scattered like cockroaches.

Naruto feigned a perplexed expression to look at the distantly fleeing trio, and scratched his head a bit. It seemed to the onlookers like he didn't know what even happened. Only after think for a long time did he seemed to have realized something and said, "Ohhh right, divine weapons each have a wicked and wild air surrounding them. It seems like they sensed people who had bad intentions in their hearts and that offended the divine weapons inside. All divine weapons have a soul and spirit, so they disciplined them a bit …."

After listening to him explaining so, everyone in the crowd suddenly understood what happened. All of them could not help but show a bit of fear on their faces as they took several steps back. They felt a chill go up their spines.

Naruto laughingly said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I do not know who else wants to come to visit a bit? Please, please, you're all welcome, don't be afraid."

With a rustle, the onlooking crowd quickly dispersed.

Naruto, with a small "he he" laugh, turned back into the shop.

Heavenly Armament Pavilion really was terrible, the divine weapons in there each actually had a spirit! If an ill-willed person goes there, they would curse them. This rumor spread even faster than the previous rumor. After all, there were a lot of people who personally witnessed it happening. Thus, it spread out with even more vigor than the previous one. The people who retold the story did it in a low and careful voice; those who did the listening kept quiet with bated breaths.

"Who wouldn't believe this? Did you not see those guys from East Main Street who were scared to insanity? What, you don't know who those guys were? It's those hooligans that were raking in protection fees, you know."

Since then, this rumor spread even more excessively. It developed into many different versions, giving this newly opened Heavenly Armament Pavilion, which had opened out of thin air, another veil of mystery.

That night, Naruto was somewhat puzzled. On the first day of opening, Heavenly Armament Pavilion's assertiveness had attracted a crowd of onlookers; inside the crowd there were also many martial artists, and many affluently dressed people with haughty demeanor, who were very likely the members of some large families within the city.

How could these people actually have been able to hold back their curiosity and not come in for a look?

It is should be noted that with a sharp divine weapon in hand, you can raise your combat ability at least one level, whether it is walking in the Jiang Hu or fighting in the battleground, it is always a treasure that martial artists could only dream about getting.

When one has a divine weapon, its qualities would be far more superior to any other ordinary weapon. It is tantamount to having an extra life!

Did this not have enough attraction for them?

No matter whether if it was a martial family or the military, this type and level of attraction should be enough right?

Naruto remained completely puzzled, what sort of thing was this? As far as I know, the moment this Iron Cloud Nation hears of this situation they should've been storming in regardless if it was true or not. But how bizarre that nobody actually cares, did I remember incorrectly?

On the second day, there were still people gawking. But it was even more deserted than the first day; frankly not even one person went through the doors to enter the shop. At least on the first day, there was a group that came to make some trouble.

On the third day, even the onlookers became less. Naruto could not help but be depressed. Buying or not buying was one thing, but at least there should be a few people who would come to look around? There were millions of people throughout the city; did they not have any curiosity? In the end, what sort of thing was this?

On the third night, there was finally movement.


	15. Chapter 15

After eating, Naruto was looking at the book "Immortal Medicine" that Heaven Canceller gave him; upon opening the title page, there was an opening phrase: "In this world, who can avoid death? None. Therefore as doctors, one can only heal non-deadly diseases. However what is a non-deadly disease? I humbly believe, that it is those that are inflicted by external forces and cause one bodily pain; those are non-deadly diseases."

As for terminal diseases, they are one's destiny.

Naruto was shocked as he read. The meaning of these words was clear: As long as one was not old to the point of burning out the last bit of gas in his tank, any injury or disease could be cured. Of course this was only in theory. But even if it's only in theory, the tone was majestic to the extreme.

Bang, bang!

There was someone knocking on the door.

Naruto who was just getting immersed in the book, impatiently asked: "Who is it?"

"I heard that there are divine weapons for sale here, thus I especially came to visit." From the outside came a tired voice.

Naruto's heart moved a bit, although this voice sounded tired, it glowed with a one-of-a-kind type of haughtiness that did not seem to be putting anyone in its eyes. Only people who have become accustomed to being in high places could have such a tone.

Moreover, this voice sounded very young.

Closing the book, Naruto opened the door, in a glance there was a youth in silk clothing standing there, his face calm and yet tired, but within his brows there seems to be an unsolvable light of melancholy. Even after seeing Naruto open the door, he still had the same expression.

Although this youth was clothed affluently, but his clothing was entirely covered with dust, it actually seemed to be from a long journey without a break. Such a person, with such a haughty tone, but how could he appear to be so pitiful?

At the moment that Naruto opened the door, this youth's stomach suddenly let out a sound, it seemed to be from hunger, but upon this person's face you definitely cannot see the slightest trace of embarrassment.

A lamp was lit. There was a lonely glow of light.

"Please sit." From the guest's demeanor and air Naruto could see that the youth in front of him was definitely not from some mundane family. He was certainly the child of a large family.

Because this type of upper class air was not something that those regular officials' families would have.

Spoiled rich kids are of course easily produced by large rich families, but they were also the easiest place for geniuses to be produced as well. Because their starting point was much higher than any hero who comes from the masses.

Naruto had some doubts. Why had such a large family's precious child come out at midnight? Why was there not even a single guard to follow him as well? Moreover, why did he appear to be so pitiful?

The youth lightly smiled and only after checking out the inside of the store a bit did he take steps to come inside. After sitting on Naruto's opposite, he lightly smiled and said: "What is elder martial brother's name?"

"You want to buy weapons? Or are you here to make friends?" Naruto smiled then looked up and asked.

"Good!" The youth gazed at him for a moment, before he gently spoke. After speaking, he took off a sword from his waist and placed it on the table. Only after gazing unwilling at it for a moment did he then slowly push it in front of Naruto, "Since brother specializes in selling divine weapons, how about looking a bit at this sword of mine?"

Naruto was somewhat speechless. He was there to sell weapons and for three days he had not sold any, nor was there any customer, and now one finally came at night. But listening to his tone, he was actually trying to sell a weapon! Was he actually in the same business? Naruto thought his luck really was bad to the extreme.

But after thinking for a bit he still reached out for the sword. There was nothing to do anyway, and idling was idling after all.

The moment the sword was in hand it felt quite heavy, Naruto couldn't help but raise his eyebrows and exclaim, "Good sword!"

"Brother you have not yet pulled it out, how can you already know that this is a good sword?" the gold-clothed youth smiled at him. Although the clothes on him were very pitiful, his every word and move were leisurely, which showed how good an upbringing his family gave him.

"Common long swords are usually 3 feet in length, with scabbard 3 feet 3 inches. But this sword of yours together with scabbard is 3 feet 5 inches." Naruto looked at the sword and said, "For experts of the sword, an inch longer is an inch stronger, this is specific to swords rather than other weapons. People who says that this saying applies to any weapon are mistaken, because the sword is a gentle killer, it is long but not firm, not firm thus it is brittle, if it is brittle then it is easy to break. Therefore, it is easier to create a short sword; that is to say that creating a long sword is difficult. A sword like yours, being much longer adds to the difficulty of making the sword. But from looking at the scabbard and hilt, old and unadorned with a faint blood aura, shows that it has been through many years, experienced a lot of kills, yet it remains unchanged; there is no doubt this is a good sword!"

"Well said!" The youth laughed, his laughter full of appreciation, and said: "Brother indeed is a person who knows swords!"

"Also, regularly a long sword weighs at about six pounds to nine pounds, the ideal heavy swords are weighted at 7.7 pounds." Naruto lightly smiled. "If mixed with other specific metals, then it is very hard to say."

"But this sword of yours, with scabbard its weight has already exceeded more than thirty pounds." Naruto said, "A sword that heavy, and yet does not change its shape, is definitely a good sword!"

The look of appreciation in the youth's eyes became more profuse.

Naruto's wrist turned; with a clang, as if were a groaning dragon and a hissing tiger, the long sword exited the scabbard. Suddenly a ray of cold light spread throughout the room; the lamp's light shone upon the sword actually and became thousands of rays that almost made the entire house transparent in its brilliance!

"Good sword!" Naruto praised, carefully inspecting it. The more he looked the more the praises came.

Blade as still as autumn water. Yet when still, it seemed to be constantly shaking.

"Observing a beauty underneath the lamp is a great joy in life; but to those who know swords, seeing a sword underneath the light is actually the greatest blessing," the youth could not help but sigh. "The sword has a spirit within, a heart within. To see a sword is to look at the killings in Jiang Hu! A famed sword within one's eye is like clear autumn water. Groaning dragons and hissing tigers sounds brings to one's mind an image of armored cavalry stampeding through Jiang Hu!"

"Yes." Naruto sighed and said, "To look at a sword, is to look at Jiang Hu." He raised his head watching the youth. "But you and I have never met before. Your coming here today is not to let me take a look at this sword, to feel a bit of Jiang Hu."

While talking, sword lights flashed, without even a look Naruto returned the long sword to its scabbard, as if the blade itself had eyes.

"You really are an expert with the sword." The youth smiled. "Naturally I am not just here to let you see the sword, I wanted to find a person who loves swords."

His eyes flashed a pained look. "Ever since coming out, I didn't have a single penny on hand, a journey of eight thousand miles to here, all the items which I had have all been bartered away save only for this sword."

His eyes looked at Naruto Yang: "Brother, I only need a hundred and twenty gold, I will for now leave my sword here as collateral. After a period of time I will come to retrieve it, at that time I will return you ten thousand gold to take my sword back."

Naruto fell into silence, doubts began to well up.

This sword, one only needed a look to see that it was priceless. To put it as collateral for one hundred and twenty gold was more than enough. But he just could not understand why such a good thing came to find him on its own.

In this world, one does not know how many professional pawn shops there are; he was just an ignorant fella trying to bait out a prey. This storefront was also there only for his own purposes; to attract people's eyes and increase his own worth. As soon as that purpose was achieved, then he would immediately close it down.

Unexpectedly, ever since he opened, not a single business transaction had been done yet, but this late at night there was actually someone who came here on their own to pawn something? Moreover, it was such a good sword?

This event really was strange, too unusual. Could it be that there was something fishy about this?

Past midnight, within Crown Prince Manor.

The burly stature of Jiraiya left looking pitiful.

The moment he came to Haku's, even without saying a word, everything was blocked at once by Haku's words, "No need to explain, I know for sure that it was you."

Then he was just left hanging in there. Standing upright and left hanging for half an afternoon until the evening. This great general who within Iron Cloud was considered so powerful and formidable. In the armed forces, undoubtedly mighty; in subordinate's hearts, invincible and undefeatable. He was, for the entire afternoon and half the night, continuously wiping off cold sweat.

Haku had been constantly approving documents and arranging tasks. Waves and waves of people had been walking in, then the waves and waves of people walked out, everyone was moving hurriedly. Only Jiraiya stood like a stake in the middle of the hall, motionless.

This time it really was embarrassing to the point of death. Jiraiya looked at the pairs of eyes that curiously watched him. Those surprised, questioning gazes made him feel unbelievably shamed. He almost wanted to find a hole to up into. In particular, several who recognized him and were familiar with him; their eyes when looking at him were like those watching a monkey.

Jiraiya, for countless times, looked at Haku with a gaze pleading for mercy. Brat, even if you cut off my head, please don't continue to leave here like this…

But Haku did not even spare him a single look; their eyesight didn't even meet for just a bit. Moreover, he didn't even try to talk to him.

If Haku did not speak a word, then naturally Jiraiya was afraid to speak as well. This teenage crown prince's power and influence were still quite solid. The key was the fame and respect he accumulated over the years. This made Jiraiya respectful of him to the extreme! Thus, he was very afraid.

If Haku were switched with someone else, it would be likely that this general, whose temper was notoriously grumpy, would've already smashed a table and begun to swear viciously. But in front of Haku, he even had to consider the loudness of his breathing.

Haku's final sentence rescued him from his predicament. Looking at the document on the desk, without looking up, he said, "Go find the army penalty section, give yourself 100 lashes and a year's fine in pay. All the people who were involved in this matter, is to be treated as such." Haku looked at the documents on the table before him, without lifting his head said, "I believe that you will not try any mischief again. Get out."

Haku did not let out any fury and sounded very calm. But it was just this type of calm voice that made Jiraiya's heart tremble. Because this meant that Haku was really angry. If Iron Cloud Nation were not in such a crisis, his head would probably be hanging on a flagpole by now…

Heh…, if it wasn't a crisis, and my brain wasn't retarded, why would I even do such a thing?

After hearing Haku's penalties, Jiraiya felt as if he had been granted amnesty, thanked him again and again. With a turn of his body, like a rabbit being chased by a wild dog, he ran out of the Prince's mansion. Only then did he let out a long breath, with a sound plopped himself on the ground, opening his mouth and loudly sighing "My mother, finally out of there. This feeling really isn't much better than just being beaten."

As for mischiefs… the thought did not even enter Jiraiya's mind. Although one hundred lashes was a lot, but he could still endure it. But if there was more mischief, then the next time it wouldn't be just a hundred lashes…

These kind of things… Jiraiya, having learned a lesson from the ancestors, definitely would not dare to pretend to be obedient outwardly while opposing the prince secretly and go piss him off again.

"Reporting, Crown Prince, we have found that person."

"Oh? Where is he?" Haku was just currently looking at the mountains of reports on the table. His right hand was holding a long feathered pen and quickly approved several reports.

Although his speed was fast, but each one was looked at clearly, and had been carefully considered. Every approval was sharply written, directly answered. This type of insight; it really does make people gasp with admiration.

"Early today, at Iron Cloud Citadel's Main Street, there was a rumor that someone lost their sanity due to sheer fright. Hearing this news I went have a look, but for some reason saw the person that Crown Prince was just looking for in a store as its shopkeeper." The speaker's face was a bit strange, as if he could not hold in his laughter.

"Store? Shopkeeper?" Haku finally could not help it; his hand jerked and the brush smudged an ink spot onto the report.

It was really too unexpected; that wolf-like person, how could he become the shopkeeper in a store at Iron Cloud Citadel?

"However, the store he opened is… Heavenly Armament Pavilion!" The dark clothed man gave a description of Heavenly Armament Pavilion, and said: "It seems to be selling divine weapons, but the style is quite mad and quite grand, it's completely unprecedented!"

"Divine weapons? The style was especially grand?" Haku gently put down the pen within his hand, his beautiful eyebrows lightly jumped. Only after a while did he thoughtfully said, "Tomorrow, I will go and personally have a look."

"Also, that rumor of a man who was driven mad because he offended the divine weapons and so was punished by the heavens. But according to my investigation, that person must have been scared witless by Naruto's aura, so that the soul separated from the body, resulting in madness!"

"Oh?" A light flashed through Haku's eyes, and asked, "To simply use one's aura to drive someone insane … what kind of cultivation would you need?"

"This is … very hard to say." the person hesitated for a moment, then said: "Generally if it's an expert below the realm of martial great master then, even if it's against ordinary people, they definitely cannot cause them to faint. This is because aura is after all something unseen and non-physical. And the aura of an expert is something only those at the same level can grasp, however there are always the exceptions…"

"What exceptions?"

"If the one emitting this aura, is originally the kind of person who can murder without thinking, is encumbered with blood debts, with both hands reeking of blood. This kind of peerless killer, or a warlord who battled year after year, killing without thoughts. Once they release their Chakra into that kind of fierce and brutal aura, I'm afraid even if it scares someone to death, that would not be surprising. But Naruto's age is very young, so this supposition seems a little ridiculous." The blue clothed man frowned, distressed. He indeed felt that to use this supposition on a youth who was only in his mid-teen, seemed to be too preposterous. At that young age, how could one murder without thinking?

"Oh…" Haku let out long sound.

"I originally wanted to go in and investigate a bit, but was stopped by members of the Military Ministry. The Military Ministry had secretly blockaded Heavenly Armament Pavilion, not allowing anyone to enter."

"Members of the Military Ministry?" Haku suddenly smiled. "Were they Imperial Uncle Toshiro's men?"

"Yes."

"It seems like Imperial Uncle will soon make a move." Haku smiled relaxingly. "Never thought that a Heavenly Armament Pavilion would make Imperial Uncle Toshiro, who in recent years has always been reclusive, who even I have difficulty meeting, appear. This Naruto really is my lucky star. "

"Also, three of the seven sections of Yuki Pavilion within Great Sky has suddenly lost contact. Prince, I'm afraid Shinno has made his move."

Haku frowning, thought for a long while, only then did he slowly said: "It can't be Shinno, Shinno is not this impatient," He did not say why it was not Diwu Qing Rou; it seemed like he just came to this conclusion, there was no room for discussion.

"Is there any other news?"

"Great Sky's southern forces have begun to mobilize. Three army corps have started leaning towards Devil's Cry Valley. But this event, if looking at the situation, is really a move against Limitless Nation, with no relations to Iron Cloud."

Iron Cloud was located north of Great Sky, the mobilization of Great Sky's Southeast Army was thousands of miles away.

But once the blue clothed man spoke this sentence, Haku's expression suddenly became very serious. He murmured, "Southeast?" His eyes suddenly glinted; he again murmured and asked: "Southeast, three army corps?"

"Yes, in the southeast." The blue clothed man was somewhat surprised by Prince's reaction; how could an army mobilizing thousands of miles away affect Iron Cloud?

"Tomorrow afternoon, tell the generals and military affairs ministers to come here for a bit." Haku pinched his brow and said in a dignified manner, "This time, Great Sky's mobilization is certain to be something unusual. Command Yuki Pavilion Intelligence to immediately gather information regarding this matter. Once there is news, immediately report back!"

"Yes!"

"Let this news be delivered to Imperial Uncle Toshiro." Haku added, "Since he has come out, he should know about it. Even if he didn't come out, he should still know. But he still needs to let me know that he knows." This sentence came out just like a tongue twister, while saying it, even Haku himself began to smile.

"Yes."

The blue clothed man's eyes suddenly flashed with a light.

Toshiro was Haku's uncle; the number one royalty below the Iron Cloud Emperor. He was not just a lavishly-cared for prince of a royal household, but also a general! A famous one at that!

Amongst the continent's great generals, he was ranked first! Undefeatable, Invincible! The entirety of Iron Cloud's military was reformed by him to become strong as a steel plate! How Iron Cloud Nation was able to hold on for this long, besides Haku's great skills, was due to Toshiro's power and great abilities as a general.

Two people, one internal, one external, one with the pen, one with the sword, this was the greatest weapon in deterring Shinno!

Arrangements completed, Haku gently waved and said, "You can go, you've worked hard."

"Yes. Your subordinate will retire now." The blue clothed man quietly exited.

"Southeast … Shinno, do you really want to start?" Haku took in a deep breath, finally taking his thoughts off the matter. Right now, there were other things to deal with. In particular, Heavenly Armament Pavilion.

"Heavenly Armament Pavilion…" Haku read out these three words one by one, within his heart a flame began to burn. With that man's ability, to say such a thing, surely it would not be empty boasts.

The one thing Haku was missing right now was divine weapons!

This type of weapon might not have much usefulness for regular soldiers, but for Yuki Pavilion, which Haku himself set up, such divine weapons were urgently needed!

Because a considerable part of the organization were Dead Warriors! And another part were killers who were carefully cultivated for years by Iron Cloud's royal family!

If attempting to kill a target, with a divine weapon in hand, one can increase the chance of success by more than a few percentages! Even if it only increased the chance for success by a tenth then it would be enough for Haku to pay good money for it! But there were no such easy things in life.

Iron mines might be numerous in Iron Cloud Nation, but as for high grade weapons, they have always been the weakness of Iron Cloud!

Moreover, this type of divine weapon has only exists within legends, never before seen. But now there was actually someone here who opened a "Heavenly Armament Court"?

Haku decided, no matter if this news was true or false, tomorrow he would go to have a look for himself.

An assassin was a Dead Warrior!

For a long time, people have confused assassins with killers. But this a big mistake, for although assassins and killers all have the purpose of killing an enemy, their process was not the same.

Once an assassin makes his move, then there must be a death as a result, if not the target's death, then his own death, or both. To put one's life on the line, only then can one make the move to kill one's target. Regardless of the target death or not, the assassin's fate was to die!

Therefore, there were often assassins sneaking into an enemy's heavily guarded location to conduct assassinations, and regardless of success, once the move had been made, they must see it as if their death was forthcoming. Therefore, an assassin was often called a Dead Warrior!

But a killer was not the same, if he was unsuccessful he would flee far and wide and slowly look for opportunities to strike. The emphasis was on protecting himself first, then killing the enemy second. Between these two, there was a fundamental difference!

So even if there were rankings within the world, then there would only be a number one killer, never a number one assassin! Because an assassin could not to be ranked. When person decides to be an assassin, he was a dead man walking…

"You may find it very strange." The youth gently stoked the blade, his eyes full of affection and reluctance. He slowly said: "Black Dragon is a good sword, anyone who is able to have it, should cherish it and treat it with care. Pawn shops? I've already visited several of those. Those people were all blind to it! If I pawned my sword to them, then it would just be insulting to my Black Dragon! "

"Forgive my bluntness." Naruto lightly said: "If you're able to have such a sword, then your skill should not be very weak either, whether through armed robbery or thieving in the night, for you gold and silver should be inconsequential things, why must you pawn your beloved sword?"

"What kind of talk is this?" This youth seemed like he had just been greatly insulted, suddenly standing up, he angrily said, "Would I, Zoro, do such a thing?"

Zoro!

Naruto's startled heart jumped; suddenly, he opened his eyes wide and a stared.

So it's him!

His head was suddenly overflowing with memories of his past life. Zoro, the heir of Middle Three Heaven's Roronoa family. An outstanding talent among the younger generation. Rumors had it that this person as a child was called "Sword Addict". His obsession with the sword was almost innate. At the age of three he became a Sword Pupil, at seven a Sword Warrior, a Sword Master at only around thirteen-year-old. And on the year he was Eighteen, he became a Sword Great Master; age twenty-one, Revered Sword Artist! At thirty three, he was already Ninth Grade Sword King! He became the youngest person to try and achieve the realm of Sword Emperor since times past!

This type of cultivation speed was that of incredible legends.

Zoro had created a generation of myths and legends within the Middle Three Heavens.

Such achievements, in the entirety of the Mid-Heavens perhaps only the generation's Evil Young Master Itachi could compare! Zoro and Itachi were the idols of all the youths within Middle Three Heavens!

In the past life, Zoro was someone that even Naruto, the 'Poisonous Sword Revered Martial Artist,' looked up to! A large part of Naruto's determination to reach the peak was due to the influence of these genius!

But Naruto never could have thought that the Soaring Dragon Sword King of his past life could have fallen down to a point that he even wanted to pawn his beloved treasure sword!

This …How does one put this into words?

No wonder the name of this Black Dragon Sword seemed so familiar when he heard it; it turned out to be him!

The 12 famed people of the time in the Mid-Heavens; "Black Devil, Dark Bamboo, Lone Traveler, Poison Spirit, Heavenly Secret, Strict Aggression, Black Saber, One Thousand Talents, Evil Young Master, Dream Fall, Jade Flower, Heaven Cannot Compare"

These twelve people covered the Middle Three Heavens and dominated all. Each one was an out of this world expert, geniuses among geniuses.

Within this group was Lone Traveler was really this young master Zoro, Zoro!

Naruto slanted his eyes, looking at this future legend who would traverse the Middle Three Heavens, and in his mind started to do some calculations. Hmm looking at his appearance he is only at around 20 or so, that is to say, he hasn't reached Revered Sword Artist yet. But he must have already reached Sword Great Master!

And at the peak of Sword Great Master as well!

This … this is a meat pie falling from the heavens. F*, heaven sent me a powerful man and so rare to get him while he is so poor as well. Of course, even rarer is that I'm so rich, never before have I been this rich…

Even so, in Naruto's heart there were some questions. A Sword Great Master, how did he reach this point? A Sword Great Master … pawning his own sword? What was this?

However, this this Zoro really was the same as the legend from the past life; just, firm, and upright.

Zoro, walking alone through his life, traversing the world. But one of the biggest good point: Everything he obtained were fair and square, all legitimate income! Absolutely no wealth of questionable origins!

Just this one point, the whole of the Middle Three Heavens, including his enemies, all praised him as a good man!

A Sword Great Master pushed to this point by the lack of gold and silver, and still did not resort to stealing or robbing … although Naruto had some contempt, and disagreed with this kind of approach, but he could not help but to praise this guy's perseverance.

"... Byakuya is it?" Naruto lightly smiled, putting on an enigmatic look. He pointed at the four weapons hanging on the wall, "How about you first check out the weapons I have here and see how they compare with yours?"

Then, Naruto rose, taking off from the wall a long sword and a great saber, and placed them in front of Zoro.

Zoro was a bit surprised, his face showed a look of disdain. He squinted and said: "These sabers and swords of yours, from their looks, they seem brand new, never used. The fact that they have just been recently forged is readily apparent. Their scabbards shine with light and although they look as if they are expensive, but single look will tell that they are made of regular metal. Not worth much money. "

This guy really was direct.

"This type of weapon is basically mass produced goods, for killing a chicken is fine, at best you can use it to fool people who don't know better…" While speaking Zoro reached out his hand to grab the long sword. Indeed a true Sword Great Master for he did not even spare the saber a single look. The moment the sword was in his hand, Zoro's mouth emitted an "oh" sound. The look of disdain on his face instantly disappeared, replaced with great surprise.

"This sword, there something wrong with this sword…" Zoro muttered, but a shock ran through his heart. This sword was even heavier than his own sword!

Naruto chuckled, stood up and walked into the back room. This guy is probably hungry, I should probably prepare something for him to eat. As for leaving his weapons with Zoro, Naruto was one hundred percent assured. For someone who would not steal even when starving to death and would rather pawn his beloved sword… if he could not trust him, then there really were no one else in the world he could trust.

Even if Shinno were to steal his sword and ran away, Naruto will not be surprised; but if it were Zoro… then wouldn't that be a joke?

Carrying in the food after leaving for a while, he saw that Zoro, who was sitting at the table, was still staring and maintaining a look of being overly shocked. This guy was obviously starving but seemed utterly indifferent to the food Naruto carried out, only looking at the sword in his hand while murmuring to himself, "How could this be possible? How could this sword that has not been watered and nourished with blood be so sharp?"

"Is there such thing as impossible?" Naruto grabbed a thick iron bar with one hand and grabbed the sword in Zoro's hand with the other. Then he shaved the iron bar as if shaving the skin off an apple.

"Ting", with a slight noise, a thin piece was shaved off the iron bar. With Zoro's perceptive eyes, he could see that Naruto's hands absolutely did not exercise any power.

Only relying on the sword's own sharpness!

"Ting", another piece.

"Ting… ting…"

The thick iron bar was shaved down by half, on the ground a patch of Iron shavings shined.

Zoro felt his mental state collapsing.

He had problems with his family along with other issues and he snuck out, but due to being in a hurry he had forgotten to bring money. Along the way he pawned off most of the items he had carried.

Since he was a man and not a woman, he did not wear jewelry. A jade pendant and a few concealed weapons made of precious metals were all he had.

But going into pawn shops again and again, made Zoro completely annoyed by those people. In there, his jade pendant and precious metals actually became a "crappy jade," and "crappy metals"…

Can there even be "crappy" ones for this kind of stuff?

So this time, although Zoro had been hungry for two days, He resolutely refused to go to a pawn shop. For he knew what kind of treasure his Black Dragon was. If those idiots called it "a crappy sword", then he was afraid that he would really be unable to restrain himself and pull out his sword to kill someone!

So he was looking over all the way on the road, only after hearing the rumor that this Heavenly Armament Pavilion had scared a man to insanity, did he tentatively find his way here.

After seeing the three words "Heavenly Armament Pavilion", he suddenly felt very comfortable.

Heavenly Armament Pavilion … Wasn't his Black Dragon a heavenly armament? Besides the two words heavenly armament, there really was no other word that could be compared to his Black Dragon!

Not even the words heavenly armament would be sufficient to describe it!

Because Black Dragon, actually has spirituality!

Thus when Zoro walked in, he had already made up his mind. As long as the other party accepts, he would gather the money in the shortest possible time, and then with the fastest speed, redeem Black Dragon back.

Of course, there was a precondition that this Heavenly Armament Pavilion's boss had to cherish Black Dragon, only then could he be assured!

How would he even know that this place that he so casually walked in actually had such a treasure of a sword! The legendary 'cut iron as if it were mud' … Did I really witness it?

Secretly pinching his thigh, Zoro finally determined that he was not dreaming. In the next moment, Zoro suddenly became furious!

He was angry like crazy!

"You actually put this sword here to be sold to those vulgar animals?" Zoro suddenly jumped up, his eyes rolled up and stared fiercely at Naruto.

The rumbling in his belly was getting louder and louder, and his mouth was snarling as well. He was full of rage!

"Er?" Naruto blinked his eyes a few times.

"You! This is blasphemy! This is a crime! This is an insult to these divine weapons!" Zoro roared. Directly becoming mad. Seeing the surprised expression on the other person's face, his heart almost exploded from rage!

This type of divine sword was something that, unless they were a superior swordsman, people definitely cannot obtain! They do not deserve it!

Was it not said that treasured swords are gifts to heroes and pearls are gifts to beauties? How could ordinary human beings deserve to have these divine weapons?

The name "heavenly armament" definitely fitted perfectly!

"I will not allow this!" Zoro jumped up, eyes sharp: "I will never allow this!"

Naruto was stunned. He looked at this person whose stomach let loose sounds of hunger and was almost at the verge of starving to death. This person was jumping up and down in his shop with an appearance of almost being excited to death. He actually disallowed him to sell his own stuff …this is too much, isn't it?

"Umm, buddy, this store seems to belong to me." Naruto was dumbfounded.

Zoro froze for a bit, suddenly overbearingly said, "What is yours? It's not okay even if it's yours!"

Naruto was speechless. This idiot, no wonder he advances this fast, looks like he has already been possessed by a sword. This was an extreme obsession, not just a regular addiction.

"This… this… this, this is a sword that's rare to see even once in this world!" Zoro's eyes and face even the whole body seemed to exude a frenzied air, "This is… This is a perfect sword… This is a favorable killing tool! Such a sword if piercing a person's heart, if cutting off a person's heads, how… how refreshing would that be?! It's enjoyable even just thinking about it!"

Then while saying he closed his eyes, his hands making sword like gestures, his mouth imitating the sounds. He did not even notice himself, "Ka! Ka! … This is a real sword! This is what the sword's fate should be!"

Naruto was dumbfounded, looking at this madman, he immediately placed him in the same ranks as mental patients. Unbelievable, there is actually this kind of people?

Zoro was so excited that it was as if he was in convulsions, with a loud clang he unsheathed the great saber on the table. Looking at the saber's shine, this man's convulsion became more severe, he was quickly approaching the point of severe spasms, "This great saber… This great saber is also a rarely seen treasure…"

Jumping to the wall's side, with a smooth sound, he pulled both the short sword and small saber from their scabbards.

"This is simply the dream of all the martial artists in this world" Zoro was already stricken in place; suddenly he stared at Naruto with eyes full of grief: "You you you … you actually want to sell these blades?! You actually want sell the dreams of this the world's martial artists?!"

He stared, approaching Naruto step by step ,the muscles on his face cramping, eyes suddenly bulging out like a frog's and then suddenly narrowed, with his lips trembling, roaring suddenly: "Are you still human?!"

Naruto was thoroughly stunned!

Naruto nearly fainted.

I only just wanted to use these blades as a lure, that's all. How come it became me selling the dreams of the entire world's warriors? There's no need to be this serious, right? If I just sell these blades, then I would actually become the enemy of all the martial artists in the world?

If that's really the case … then there really is no way to continue living this life!

Naruto fell silent for a while, before finally finding an excuse, "Zoro, why do you want to pawn your beloved sword?"

"I… I need to eat!" Zoro's mind wasn't quite able to follow; he didn't know why the other side brought this up.

"Yes, you need to eat; therefore you pawned the sword that you love more than your life." Naruto nodded, pointing to his own nose and said: "But what about me? Did you even think about how I also want to eat? If I don't eat then I will starve to death as well! I'm the same as you, understand?"

"If I don't sell swords, and I have no other skill, what do I eat? Do I eat people?" Naruto asked angrily. The more he said, the more he felt more righteous. He actually started to yell loudly; his spit almost sprayed onto Zoro's face.

What Naruto said was pure nonsense! The plaque outside his door was made from pure gold and silver, how could he even be worried about eating? But Zoro apparently did not notice, or did not remember it. Looking at Naruto's upset appearance, he could not help but be tongue-tied.

Only now did he realize that this guy opposite of him also need to eat.

"Although you have not displayed your martial abilities yet, but I cannot see through your cultivation." Zoro finally thought of something to say, "With your skills, why do you not steal and rob? At least with that you can fill your stomach right? That is far better than selling these divine blades!"

"Your mother's fart!" Naruto, filling with indignation, roared out with righteousness: "Am I, Naruto, one of those types of people? These words of yours are an insult to my persistence, an insult to my spirit! A degradation of my will, the raping of my character! I thought that you look like a dignified man, but I never thought that you were this kind of trash! Bah!"

The last words were literally "sprayed" out.

Zoro's face was covered with saliva.

What Zoro had just asked of Naruto was the same as the one that Naruto had asked of Zoro. At that time Naruto was harshly lectured by Zoro, but now having been asked by Zoro, Naruto had repaid him back with interest! And couldn't help but feel great in his heart.

Goddamn, who in the previous and this life would've dared to criticize the Soaring Dragon Sword King like this? I dared!

When he remembered his earlier reply, Zoro suddenly became a bit ashamed. Of course, do not impose on others, what you would not do yourself. Since even he would not do such things then how would this upright youth in front of him do them?

He sat in this room of the shop which from the top to the bottom, from the inside to the outside were all made possible by the money that Naruto had stolen. And couldn't help but feel respect; so the other side was the same as him, a real man with conviction and firmness!

After all, do they not say that "on no road are you alone"? Who says that I'm stupid in my beliefs? Isn't this a fellow traveler right in front of my eyes? Although Zoro was mercilessly reprimanded by the other, he suddenly felt that he could really get along with this youth before him.

The feeling of meeting a kindred spirit.

But… but even if it's for food… Zoro looked at the blades, his heart couldn't help but feel extreme pain. The muscles of his face twitched; the thought that these type of divine weapons had to be sold was really heart aching.

This was not a pawnshop. Once sold that meant it will be completely lost.

"This thing… how about taking a longer perspective?" Zoro cautiously asked, "Elder Brother Naruto, a precious sword like this, and being people who love swords, we should at least look for a good home for them, if money is not yet that tight. I mean, if you can still at least keep living…"

Naruto rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Then according to you, what should be done?" Zoro was stunned.

"How about this? I give custody of these weapons to you, and you sell them?" Naruto suddenly had a flash of inspiration, and could not help but become excited all of the suddenly, "You have nothing to do anyways. How about you just become an employee here? This way you don't have to pawn your sword anymore, and you also get to eat food and a place to live. The most important thing is, of course, that you can also find a suitable master for these divine weapons, not letting them gather dust somewhere. This is a win-win situation. Elder Brother Zoro, what do you think?"

"Uh?" Zoro was confused. He really couldn't think of how, with just some words, he was going to become someone else's employee?

But… this also seemed like a viable plan. His reason for coming out alone was just to escape; since it's to escape… then is not escaping anywhere still escaping?

Thinking about the reason he ran away from home, Zoro could not help but let loose a deep sigh. Haa… what should I even do?

"What? Do you not agree?" Naruto asked nervously.

"It's not that I don't agree, but…" Zoro seemed to have something that he couldn't say.

"Since it's not that you don't agree, then let's just do it this way." Naruto interrupted his words, and emphatically concluded the matter, "Elder Brother Zoro, from now on we are one family. From now on, in this store, everything you say will count! Whoever you say we sell to, then that's who we will sell it to. Ah, you see, I actually don't know much about this line of work anyways…"

This remark of Naruto's was the truth; he really doesn't understand this line of work. He also didn't mind using this line to make Zoro stay.

As long as you stay, how can you ever run out from the center of my palm? If something happens to the store, can you not care about it? If you dare not care then just watch me hand these swords to some beggars, I will see if your heart aches or not! Since my heart is not going to ache, with the Nine Tribulation Sword in hand. If I want, how many more can I make…

Consequently, under Naruto's honeyed words and outright lies, Zoro confusedly stayed, becoming Naruto's employee. Indeed this guy was sword addict, and while he was already this old, this was the first time he had ever left his home. Plus it was sneaking out as well; he had no Jiang Hu experience to fall back on. Falling into the trap set by Naruto, an old fox who had experienced two lifetimes, naturally there was no other road for him…

One had to concede that the young ones really are good… hehe, good and easy to cheat…

Naturally, the biggest reason was that Zoro simply could not see through Naruto's cultivation. In his mind, anyone whose cultivation he can't see through, then their skill level would naturally be higher than his own. Being the employee of such an expert, and at the same time achieving his purpose of escaping from his family… this didn't seem to be all that bad and was not shameful as well.

After he wolfed down the food Naruto had brought out, Naruto had already deftly cleaned out a room and stuffed him inside for the night.

Only after the night had past did Zoro asked Naruto, puzzled, "There's something that isn't right here…"

"What is it?" Naruto rubbed his temples, thinking, could it be that this guy's brain suddenly started working?

"Elder Brother Naruto, you only said about providing food and shelter, but what about wages?" Zoro stared and said, "You can't just make me work for free right? After all I'm still a sword… uh, at least I should still get a few silvers each month right?"

It looks like that within this guy's heart there was still some unwillingness…

Naruto was madly dizzy for a moment, "Elder Brother Zoro, in that room of yours, there are two cabinets, did you see them?"

Zoro nodded his head.

"Those cabinets hold all my belongings and it's not locked." Naruto had a look of sincerity. "Elder Brother Zoro, although the first time we meet and our paths never crossed before, but we've hit it off right at the beginning, thus I am entrusting all the belongings in my life into your hands."

Zoro hesitated for a moment, then turned and ran inside.

After a while, from the room came sounds of screaming!

Subsequently, you could see that this young master of the Roronoa family came out with shaking hands, moved to the extreme: "Elder Brother Naruto… you, you actually trust me this much…"

At the moment he opened those cabinet drawers, even a person who was used to seeing riches like Zoro was shocked!

Their shine was almost blinding, gold pieces, gold nuggets, gold bricks… all gold. There was also a thick stack of banknotes.

In this instant, young master Zoro's head was spinning. For a second, he thought he has fallen into the vault of a wealthy mogul.

Additionally, he did not expect that Naruto had arranged for him to sleep in this room filled with riches, and without any locks at that… Hmm, the feeling of being trusted when you were at the end of your rope was truly great, truly warm…

Naruto earnestly raised his hand, "Brother Zoro, we have only just met, but we have become close friends. No need to talk about formalities."

He thought to himself: Besides those, I still have a few more cabinets like that, all filled riches ransacked from more than a dozen wealthy houses. How could there not be a lot? It's just that I am not using them yet…

Zoro nodded his head repeatedly; suddenly, a question rose from his head, "Elder Brother Naruto, if you already have so much money, why do you still want to sell these divine weapons?"

The night before he insisted that if he did not sell these weapons then there would be no food to eat. However, with the gold, silver and banknotes piled up in the cabinets like this, how could he explain himself? This stockpile was enough for three lifetimes of living in wealth and debauchery; how could it be said that there would be no food? Was this not laughable?

"Sorry, Elder Brother Zoro. I lied to you last night." Naruto acted as if his ruse had succeeded, "Elder Brother Zoro, this type of divine sword… do you think I would just sell it? I saw that it was gathering dust and felt bad for it. So I put it upon myself to find all of them worthy owners."

Naruto sighed, "Such a divine sword should be in the hands of the right people. Killing under the heavens, arrogantly traversing Jiang Hu, bathing in the wind and rain of blood, this is how it can show its unmatched character; this is the destiny a divine weapon deserves."

"For a person to find the right sword for them is already difficult. But for a sword to find the right owner, it is twice as difficult! It is rare to find someone like-minded like Elder Brother Zoro so I secretly thought I could now be a little lazy…"

"I see." Zoro laughed. The knot was undone making him laughfreely. In his heart there suddenly rose the feeling of "hero meeting a likeminded friend." These divine weapons were no longer items for sale. Naruto had agreed with me because he valued my worth.

It should be noted that the feelings developed after a good impression is definitely different. Because once there is such warm feelings, even if the other person says something wrong, you would still find some excuse for it. Moreover, you would accept such reasoning comfortably…

"Of course, finding the right owner for the divine sword is my desire, but I also need to find enough money to eat." Naruto smiled, "Moreover, if the owner of the sword did not pay a great price for it, then he would surely not cherish it."

Zoro nodded sympathetically and said, "That's true. I remember when I got Black Dragon, I did go through a lot of hardships…"

The two looked at each other and laughed. Compared with the Black Dragon Sword Emperor who traversed under the heavens in the previous life, the current Zoro was no doubt less wise, more naïve and youthfully impulsive.

Naruto naturally knew how valuable the person in front of him was. Zoro's stubbornness, love for swords, steadfast principles and obstinate attitude had not changed from his past life.

This person was definitely a worthy friend.

Naruto was not committed to swords like Zoro was, because, to him, such commitment was foolish. But this did not stop him from admiring Zoro.

This difference in characteristics was the reason why, in his previous life, Naruto became a Revered Martial Artist and not a Revered Sword Artist. Even though he used a sword, his abilities were not that of swords alone.

"Elder Brother Zoro, how do my swords compare to your Black Dragon?" Naruto asked.

"In term of sharpness, they greatly exceed my Black Dragon. In term of toughness, they also exceed my Black Dragon." Zoro thought carefully and replied, "But in my heart, Black Dragon is unique. These swords of yours, even though they are rare divine weapons, I feel as if something is missing! If I have to choose, I would choose my Black Dragon."

Zoro's fingers gently rub the sword hilt at his waist lovingly. His eyes showed a sincere feeling like a youth deep in love. While this love was not one that could make countries fall or topple citadels like the famed beauties, it was the only one that could toggle his heartstrings.

Of course, he would certainly appreciate and marvel at other beauties, but if he has to find a partner for life, there was only one!

Missing something? Naruto's heart jumped.

Zoro's senses were definitely accurate. At first glance, these swords were extremely sharp, but they really do lack something. Because all the essence of the material was already devoured by Nine Tribulations Sword and that was the true spirituality of a divine sword.

Without essence, these swords were just sticks of steel pure enough to scare people; they definitely would not become divine weapons of legends! Because they would never be able to have spirituality.

A sword with spirituality, after killing and bathing in blood, would grow in spiritual aura. However, even if these swords kill the entire world, they would still remain as sticks of steel only.

That tiny difference, only at the level of Sword King would it become a large gap. Before reaching that realm, no one could recognize this discrepancy!

But Zoro was only a Sword Great Master, yet with his keen intuition, could feel that something was wrong with these swords!

"Elder Brother Zoro, this is not why I opened Heavenly Armament Pavilion." Naruto thought for a moment and said, "I have another reason, but Heavenly Armament Pavilion must remain. It is complicated and dangerous, so I need your help."

Naruto smiled, "Actually, since the beginning, I did not expect that someone like you would come here. But now that you are here, I will not let you go. I trust you and I especially trust my judgment."

Zoro flashed a sincere smile and said, "Good."

Only one word, but that was Zoro's promise. He could feel that Naruto's words, while he still did not reveal everything, were completely from the bottom of his heart. So he readily agreed.

No matter what, one, the person in front of him looked like a good person, and two, this person helped him during the toughest time of his life. That was enough!

The two smiled and two palms clapped together. No one could have thought that this clap would become a legend of Nine Heavens later!

"I come from a great family of the Roronoa family clan. I am telling you this, but I am not sure if you can understand the weight of the words Roronoa family clan. In truth, in all of Lower Three Heavens, there are probably very few people who know about the Roronoa family clan's power." Zoro held up his cup of wine, a ray of deep nostalgia escaped his eyes. He continued, "I am the adopted son of the head of the clan. After my birth parents suddenly died, my foster father took me in and cared for me with all his heart."

Naruto nodded and thought to himself: If I don't know about Roronoa family clan, then who would? Such a large clan like that, if I still do not know then I might as well just bang my head against the wall and die!

Ah, so the rumors were right… The future successor of the Roronoa family clan was really only an adopted son of master Gu, not his biological child.

"My foster father has one daughter and two sons." Zoro continued be immersed in his memories, "My two foster brothers always stayed away from me. I truly never thought about competing with them and taking what's theirs so I remained submissive. I know that I am only an adopted child of the family, and core power of the family would never belong to me."

"Even if I succeed in the future and protect this clan, not letting anyone hurt them, I still would not become the head of the clan." Zoro smiled. His smile seemed to bloom from his cold countenance, making the whole thing incongruous.

"Then why did you run away from home?"

"My foster father's daughter is one year older than me. It was because of her that I left home."

Zoro's gaze seemed to hold bittersweet emotions when he mentioned this girl, "Since we were little, Sister Kuina was my guardian angel. Regardless of any problems, Sister Kuina always covered for me. Each time my two foster brothers gave me trouble, it was Sister Kuina who stood up for me. What I did not understand, she taught me. What I could not get, she helped me. For my sake, she even went against the clan's head elder, against her own brothers!"

"Growing up, I was always sheltered under her wings, living peacefully without any worries. Since I was little, each time I was preparing for a breakthrough to the next level, it was her who went to the family's Medicinal Herb Garden and Treasure Pavilion to find elixirs to help me breakthrough. Many of the elixirs were heaven sent, rare, priceless treasures! It was because of these priceless treasures and Sister Kuina's constant care that a talent like me became what I am today! My cultivation path was smooth sailing, without any bottlenecks. If I hit a lull, then the power of miracle pills and elixirs turned all obstacles into nothing!"

"All those elixirs that Sister Kuina stole, many of them were not even accessible to my foster father and the other elders. That's why Sister Kuina suffered countless punishments because of me. As for me, I was clueless and did not know anything. Each time she brought the elixirs, Sister Kuina always told me that these were just sitting around the house, and I took them all like an idiot…"

Naruto quietly listened. He finally understood why Zoro became such a legend in cultivation at a young age in the previous life. This was the reason.

With the powerful human and material resources of the great Roronoa family clan, could the elixirs collect be ordinary? Zoro had consumed such a huge amount of elixirs like that, it would be strange if his cultivation speed was not fast.

"We slowly grew up, and because of Sister Kuina fearlessness, she never stopped supplying me with elixirs. From those, my cultivation speed surpassed all my peers. One breakthrough after another, I became a heaven sent talent that all members of the clan noticed. But little did they know that because of this heaven sent talent, Sister Kuina had put out so much effort and suffered so many injustices."

"Even I was proud and arrogant about my talent. I was really too heartless…" In Zoro's eyes there appeared a clear bright flash. He suddenly tilted his neck and finished his cup of wine in one gulp. He immediately filled it up again.

"Until one day, Sister Kuina, in order to help me breakthrough Sword Great Master, went and took the family's treasure, Purple Sky Fungus. This made the whole family furious!"

Zoro suddenly punched himself hard in the head, "Right at the moment I broke through Sword Great Master, my foster father angrily broke one of Sister Kuina's legs and locked her up."

"Because of this, my two foster brothers resented me even more and came to find me to dump their anger. Because I did not know what happened, I gave them a beating. Afterward, they angrily yelled, 'You keep hiding behind a woman; don't you feel embarrassed? Today, you have made Kuina this miserable; don't you even feel a little guilty?'"

"Shocked, I chased after them for an explanation. This time they did not hold anything back and told me everything." Drop by drop, Zoro's tears felt into the wine cup. "When I went to find my foster father, he sighed and told me that because Sister Kuina took the family's treasure, the clan's head elder decided to lock her in Dragon Prison Cave! Plus, the term was forever! Purple Sky Fungus was the clan's treasure. They were waiting for the moment the head elder to reach Martial Emperor to use. If successful, it would help the clan become number one. And after that they would advance into Upper Three Heavens broaden the clan's legacy! Sister Kuina had stolen it for me and I ate it all. That was how decades of the clan's preparation was ruined!"

"To the entire clan, this was unforgivable! If another family's clan at the same level as ours had someone breakthrough Martial Emperor, then the Roronoa family's clan would be lost! In giving me Purple Sky Fungus, Sister Kuina might as well have cut off all ties with the family! This error was inexcusable!"

Naruto sighed deeply.

At this moment, Zoro's description of Kuina made Naruto think about Hinata!

These two women were apparently very similar. For their love, they ignored everything! In their eyes, besides their love, there was nothing else worthy of their attention!

"I only had one chance to see her with my foster father's permission. From what I learned, she was sent to Dragon Prison Cave after that."

"We were separated by a Purple Colored Metal fence. At that time, I cried and cried until my inside felt as if it has broken to pieces. I asked her why she was so foolish. Why? Because of me? It was not worth it. Really not worth it!" Zoro tears poured out. He picked up the wine gourd and drank in madness. His tears and the wine mixed together as they poured into his mouth.

Naruto sighed and quietly handed Zoro another wine gourd.

"Bam!" With burning red eyes, Zoro slammed the empty wine gourd on the table, "At that time, Sister Kuina said to me, 'Fool, you are such a fool.'"

"She said, 'When you were little, I saw you as my brother and especially treasured you. So I gave you everything that was good. But when we grew up, I no longer saw you as my brother.'"

"When Sister Kuina said these words, her heart palpitated. She looked at me for a long time and smiled sadly, 'Forget it, you should leave. It's nothing. This is the time I need to go in closed door cultivation anyway. Foolish brother, you are not young anymore; you should start a family. Too bad Sister Kuina cannot drink at you wedding. Go, you should go. Don't come here anymore. Just pretend you never had this Sister Xiao Miao.'"

"After that, Sister Kuina turned and went into Dragon Prison Cave." Zoro became scary. His whole body shook.

"In my heart, Sister Kuina is no different from an angel!" Zoro trembled, "I love her. I adore her. I… I… but after she walked into Dragon Prison Cave, I discovered that my heart became empty. There is nothing in life more important than her. I cannot live without her! I cannot live without her, ah!"

Zoro gave a low roar and looked up. Tears poured down his face like torrential rain, "But she is now locked up in Dragon Prison Cave. That mistake was too big. I am afraid she may not be able to come out…"

"In the end, is there some conditions in which she could be released? Finding another Purple Sky Fungus?" Naruto asked with a calm gaze.

"It's no use. The head elder heard this news when he was in a key moment of his breakthrough. His mind was in shock and he spit up blood. Not only his breakthrough was unsuccessful, his cultivation actually decreased. He would not have a chance at breaking through Martial Emperor again. Besides the head elder, other people in our family clan cannot reach that level!"

"What did your foster father say, then?"

"My foster father… also had no other way." Zoro looked blankly into the empty space in front of him. His tears ran down, "And like that, I lived as if I was dead for two years. In that time, my foster father arranged a marriage for me…"

Naruto suddenly understood.

It seemed this Soaring Dragon Sword King was not only crazy about swords, he was also crazy in love.

"Anyway, even if I have to live a lonely life, I would still not be able to make it up to Sister Kuina!" Zoro grinded his teeth, "So I immediately ran away."

No wonder this person cultivated like crazy in the previous life. With such fast advancement, he wanted to use his own ability to breakthrough to Sword Emperor and free Kuina.

Naruto felt sad inside all of a sudden.

Even if Zoro was a heaven sent talent and had excellent qualifications, he would be at least sixty years old by the time he becomes Sword Emperor! And that girl who would spend her youth suffering inside Dragon Prison Cave was actually one year older than him. In the end, the best years of both their lives would be wasted and could not be taken back.

"If I want to get Sister Kuina out of that cave then I have to reach the realm of Sword Emperor. But that is an extremely difficult task! And Sister Kuina is already twenty-one this year!" Zoro said in despair, "Even if I really wanted to achieve that realm, I would need at least another three or four decades! In those three or four decades… How could Sister Kuina bare it? How could she bare it…!"

Naruto looked up and said thoughtfully, "This problem is not necessarily unsolvable!"

"Do you have a way?"

Zoro quickly stood up and banged his body against the table, spilling the cups of wine on it. His eyes widened in anticipation.

"Uh-huh!" Naruto calmly nodded and said, "Elder Brother Zoro, you are involved in this situation so you can't see it. The foundation of your cultivation is in sword arts, right?"

"You have incredible insights, Elder Brother Naruto." Zoro's showed a look of surprise. It was true that he concentrated only on sword arts cultivation and did not pay attention to any others. This was how he could stay focused and advance with the quickest speed!

However, no one had ever said something like that to him. This youth in front of him might have many commendable characteristics, but he was still very young. How could he have such potent insights? Even if he was a martial artist of higher ranking than mine, how could he recognize that the basis of my cultivation is sword arts without actually battling with me?

How could he know this?

"Since you took sword arts as your foundation, you only need to know one phrase: 'the sword moves with side stroke'" Naruto smiled, "This unexpected winning move can even cause injuries to you, but once you make your move, it would definitely kill!"

"Yes, but… this is cultivation, what do I need to do to achieve this?" Zoro frowned and thought.

"Elder Brother Zoro, how many people have you killed?" Naruto raised his brows.

"Kill people?" Zoro's face changed color. He immediately took a deep breath and said, "Seven! Seven bastards!"

"Too few! To become powerful you need to kill enough for a mountain of dried bones. Moreover, this cultivation path is against the natural order! If you want to become Sword Emperor, you need to spend your whole life going through endless wind and rain of blood to achieve that realm!"

Naruto raise his brows, the light in his eyes radiated, "Zoro, if you trust me and place your entire cultivation process in my hands, I definitely can help you achieve the realm of Sword Emperor within ten years!"

"Ten years?" Zoro's two eyes widened, reflecting dazzling rays of light.

Ten years was not exactly short, but compare to thirty to forty years, it was certainly much quicker. Besides, ten years from now he would only be thirty years old; it would not be too late.

But… is this true?

Naruto did not say anything. He only quietly smiled as if he had already given Zoro an answer.

"I am willing!" Zoro said decidedly, "If I could free Sister Kuina in the shortest amount of time, then not just ten years, but I be would willing to hand over my entire life to you without any hesitations!"

"Good! The deal is done!" Naruto held out his hand, "You only need to listen to me and, in about ten years, I will help the two of you reunite! During this time period, let's have a happy cooperation!"

"What should I do now?" Zoro asked.

"If you are worried revealing your identity, then don't. First, you can disguise your face a little." Naruto said casually, "Then, what you need to do is manage Heavenly Armament Pavilion in my stead and watch over these precious blades. For now, you need a good sleep and rest your head well. In the next ten years, there will be rivers of blood by your sword! Your enemies will spread over the entire continent! You must struggle at border of life and death and breakthrough in dangerous settings to achieve the unexpected winning move I just mentioned!"

"This is a difficult road; one that you cannot turn back from! But I believe that you are prepared before proceeding! Everything is for the girl you love, Kuina!"

When he heard those word "Kuina!", Zoro suddenly clenched his fists tightly and emitted a low groan from his throat like an injured animal. Only he knew that each mention of this name was like a stab at his heart.

No way back? For Sister Kuina, I have no need for a way back!

Naruto went to the counter, and quickly grabbed paper and brush. After thinking for a moment, he immediately started to write something on the paper.

Seeing this, Zoro went over next to him and looked to see what he was writing. But in only a moment, Zoro's eyes widened. His eyeballs bulged like two eggs!

"Revered Berserker Sword Technique?"

Zoro said the four words on paper with great difficulties! After that he immediately looked up, his face showed trace of disbelief as he looked at Naruto, "This… could this be true?"

Revered Berserker Sword Technique was the quickest cultivation technique for sword arts. Once started, both body and mind had to stay completely focused until the appointed period; it cannot be stopped before then. This was also the most extreme method of cultivation. Either the body would be completely destroyed or the sword artist would increase level after level.

Cultivating Revered Berserker Sword Technique can end in success or death. There was no third possibility!

According to legends, a few hundred years ago, this sword technique was created by Sword King Zabuza. He was called Closed Heart but he should in fact have been called Crazy Heart. Everyone agreed that the person who created this type of sword technique must be a madman!

Naruto got this sword technique in his previous life. During that time, in Middle Three Heavens, someone had discovered the burial place of Sword King Zabuza. From there, they found this sword technique. But after studying it over for a long time, that person realized that even though this sword technique could help increase cultivation extremely fast, once you reach the last stage of cultivation, you would become a crazy person.

Sword King Zabuza also went crazy and died because of cultivating this sword technique! Many people wanted to change and turn this useless sword technique into a treasure, but no one was successful. That was why Revered Berserker Sword Technique was tossed aside. Even if the sword technique is very powerful, it would be useless when the cultivator becomes crazy!

But the content of this sword technique was indeed handed down from Middle Three Heavens.

One day, after carefully looking at it, Naruto immediately discovered that Revered Berserker Sword Technique and the verse within Nine Tribulations Sword's third fragment were a little similar. The thing was, Revered Berserker Sword Technique was by far inferior.

However, by changing a few key positions in the verse of Berserker Sword Technique, it could be used for cultivation normally. Moreover, cultivating with this new verse will cause speed of advancement to be extremely fast, like crazy.

But Revered Berserker Sword Technique's power was not as strong as Nine Tribulations Sword, by more than one grade. Therefore, Naruto never bothered cultivating it. However, it did leave a deep impression within him.

And right now, it had a use. For a person who loved swords to a fault like Zoro, this sword technique was perfect!

"Take it!" Naruto finished writing the last word. He held up the paper still wet with ink and blew on it a few times before giving it to Zoro. This was an improved Revered Berserker Sword Technique. At this point, one only needed perseverance!

Zoro received the sword technique with trembling hands. This delicate paper had allowed him to find hope in helping Kuina quicker.

How could anyone not be excited?

When Naruto said he could help him quickly fulfill his wish, Zoro had his doubts. Plus his thought was: I am just avoiding a forced marriage and after all, cultivation was the same wherever…! But right now he had absolute faith!

"This sword technique is enough to help you breakthrough Revered Sword Artist in a year! But you can only cultivate to that point and you must stop. Otherwise, you can become immersed in it and lose your sanity." Naruto said slowly, his eyes emitted a sharp brilliance, "Plus, after you breakthrough Revered Sword Artist, we still have other ways for you to quickly increase your cultivation. The path of cultivation must be taken one step at a time. I believe you also understand this principle."

"It's enough. This is already enough!" Zoro said as he trembled, "Thank you… Thank you…"

Even to his death, he could not believe that when he reached the end of his road, such a big gift like this would drop down from the heavens! Naruto's appearance to Zoro was like a floating log to a drowning person!

This is my biggest hope for quickly saving Sister Kuina from her suffering! Zoro would sooner die ten thousand deaths than miss this opportunity!

Naruto smiled; he could finally relax.

Of course, he did this because he believed in Zoro's incredible abilities. But the biggest reason, at the moment, was the love between Zoro and Kuina. That kind of love was capable of touching the softest spot in Naruto's heart.

Hinata!

Such a love should never be let down! And loving women like Hinata and Kuina should definitely never be let down!

Just then, there was a voice from outside the door, "Excuse me. Is there anyone inside?"

The two men look at each other. And with an "ah", they both jumped up.

They have been drinking and talking since early this morning and completely neglected the business. It was now late in the morning, and Heavenly Armament Pavilion was not even open for business…

"I will open the door, you clean up…" Before Naruto could say anything else, Zoro quickly grabbed his precious Revered Berserker Sword Technique and ran to into his room like a flash.

"Mother…!" Naruto rolled his eyes and quickly grabbed the drinking mess on the table and tossed it in another room.

Then he dusted off his hands and went to open the door.

The strong smell of alcohol rushed out the door the moment Naruto opened it!

"Well, khoff khak khak…" A coughing fit suddenly broke out, in front of Heavenly Armament Pavilion was a young lady patiently waiting. But the sudden of attack of the smell of alcohol in her face made her unconsciously frown.

"Huh? You're here to buy swords?" Naruto's eyebrows pinched slightly.

This young lady, even with Naruto's experience, was difficult to describe. She was not a beauty that would cause people to lose their minds over. Whether it was nose, mouth, or eyes; they were all extremely ordinary. But in that extreme ordinariness, there hid a pull that could not be exactly pinpointed.

If you only glanced at her in a crowd, then she would not leave any impressions at all. But if you looked at her a little longer, then you would immediately discover that this young lady had many differences from other people.

Her face seemed simple at first glance, but after longer observation, everything was hazy. Her gaze seemed mysterious like a dream; her countenance was calm and peaceful. She was clearly a woman, but, surprisingly, carry an aura of a mighty general!

Standing in front of the door, even though her figure seemed delicate, anyone facing her would feel as if she was as fortified as a mountain. Unmovable like large mountains and big rivers!

Like that, she stood alone in front of Heavenly Armament Pavilion. From the looks of it, she had probably been there for a long time ago. And even though Heavenly Armament Pavilion did not open for such a long time, she was in no hurry. Her countenance seemed indifferent.

This was clearly a young lady of only seventeen or eighteen years old, but Naruto felt as if she was extremely experienced.

Moreover, her eyes suddenly gave Naruto a feeling of familiarity. As if… they have already met somewhere?

"Excuse me. Are you the shopkeeper of Heavenly Armament Pavilion?" The young lady's clear gaze looked straight at Naruto's.

"Yes, what do you need?"

"Ah, I came to see if what you called divine weapons were actually worthy of their name." The young lady said faintly, "Will you not invite your customer in for a sit down?"

"Oh, you want to come in? You have read the notices at the entrance, right?"

"Rest assured. Silver and gold is not an issue. It's not as if I don't have divine weapons either. Hahaha, but according to the rules of business, I have the right to see what you are selling. So I can judge if they are indeed valuable or just empty boasts. If they are not worthy, then I would not need to spend my money, of course."

The young lady clasped her hands behind her back and casually walked into Heavenly Armament Pavilion. It was the kind of naturally comfortable attitude she would have if she were walking around her backyard.

Naruto frowned. There was a mysterious aura on this young lady. In his two lifetimes, he had met many women and never once had encountered such a special aura. This was definitely different!

"These are the divine weapons you were referring to?" The young lady stood in front of the wall with four weapons hanging with her hands behind her back. With her head slightly tilted upward, she looked without any other actions. Naruto could not understand why but he suddenly felt as if she was watching over an entire world of her own. Like a king watching over his territory, his own people.

Naruto's mind become more and confused… She is clearly just a young lady, how could these strange feelings emerge like this?

"They are." A voice answered her, but it was not Naruto's.

Zoro quietly appeared at the corner of the room. His eyes icily stared at this young lady. Even though his face was now a little changed, it kept its iciness as before. It was still essentially expressionless.

He did not care to change his countenance because of some young lady.

"I can see them, right?" With the sudden appearance of another person in the store, this young lady, unexpectedly, did not show any surprise and just asked casually.

"Buying swords here, your status does not matter. It also does not matter how much gold and silver you have. It depends on who you are as a person!" Zoro said coldly, "We'll see if you are suitable for these weapons! If you are not suitable, then even with a whole nation's wealth, you cannot take any weapons away!"

"Oh, the sword is choosing the master?" The young lady said slowly and softly, "In any case, you want to choose the people and I want to choose the sword. If a sword is not worthy, I would not take it even if you begged me."

These words were definitely aimed at antagonizing Zoro.

After that, the young lady gently reached up and brought the long sword down from the wall. The moment she held it in her hand, she was, of course, surprised by the weight of the long sword. Therefore her arms dropped a bit. Compared to other long swords, this one was three times heavier. It was not until she had a total grip on the sword that her face showed a look of surprise.

Long sword?

Naruto and Zoro looked at each other; both of them were astonished.

Normally, if a young lady was looking for a sword then she would most likely choose a light and portable one. In this aspect, the short sword was much better than the long sword. Moreover, it was more elegant and more suitable for females to carry. Plus, this long sword looked very crude on the outside, full of masculine characteristics.

The two did not expect this young lady to look at the long sword first!

Then there was a clang, and the sword emerged from its sheath. A ray of radiance shot out.

The girl squinted hers eyes and praised, "Good sword!" After that she slowly pulled the whole sword out of its sheath. With arms at the same level as her shoulder, she slightly tilted the sword, admiring it.

Only seeing the angle she was using to look at the sword, Naruto and Zoro recognized that this girl was a connoisseur. Even though she was definitely not an expert sword artist, her knowledge and understanding of swords was probably not inferior to the two of them.

Naruto search his memory and brought out all the females he met in the previous life and this, but could not find anyone who fit the characteristics of the young lady in front of him right now. As for Zoro, even though his countenance seemed hard and icy, he was also silently going through all the young ladies from the large families in Middle Three Heavens. After that he was also surprised to discover that those young ladies were probably not as graceful as the person in front of him this moment.

This strange young lady, who is she?

There was a soft sheen on the sword blade, as if there were small waves of light rolling on it.

With sword in one hand, the young lady flicked out a thread from the other. The thread gently touched the sword blade, and the long sword vibrated. A clear and melodious sound rang out and reverberated throughout the whole room for a long while.

"It really is a divine weapon!" The young lady praised. She immediately put the long sword back in its sheath and brought down the great dagger…

When she was finally done with looking at all four weapons, she looked up at Naruto.

On the side, Naruto might have seem calm, but he was astonished on the inside… Since beginning to end, this young lady was surprisingly calm. Even though she was holding a rare weapon in her hand, her eyes never flinched.

Certain expressions like "scared, surprised, greedy, emotional…" that normally appeared during situations like this, were not shown in the eyes of this young lady!

True to her words, she simply looked over the weapons. Everything was so very ordinary.

Naruto could not avoid being aghast. Such state of mind, such cultivation, was this really just a young lady?

"What is your pricing?" The young lady seemed as if she was thinking about something. When she asked this question, she looked a little preoccupied.

On the other hand, Naruto was currently trying to figure out this young lady's identity. Looking at her demeanors, each time she lifted her arms or moved her legs, seemed to carry an air of a superior being. As if giving orders was a normalcy for her. Plus her whole body seemed to exude an innate elegance. She was probably a descendant of some royal family, or at least of royal blood.

The strange thing was, how could a person like this went out without any guards at her side? This was unbelievable. Could Iron Cloud Citadel's security be that good?

Before, Zoro has wandered in here by himself, and now there was young lady who, strange enough, also did the same.

Regardless… If Naruto had dared to hang up his Heavenly Armament Pavilion sign, then he was already prepared to receive all sorts of troublemakers. Then he would be able to celebrate in the publicity and use it to advertise Heavenly Armament Pavilion. And finally, his divine weapons would make Heavenly Armament Pavilion the talk of Iron Cloud Citadel and on the front line.

Now that he was thinking about it, with the exception of the hooligans coming to make trouble on opening day, no one else had come along.

The likes of money spending young masters, unruly young ladies, arrogant aristocrats, and royal family members who wanted to show off that Naruto counted on never showed up! In this crowded capital where you can step on three people with one step, he could not believe how empty it was these past few days.

How very odd!

"Each blade is one hundred thousand gold taels! Or you can put out some precious treasures to trade. Things such as Seven-Star White Magnolia, Nine-Leaf Spirit Root, Purple Air Spirit Star… I am not very particular. If not those, then Purple Crystal Jade, Legendary Gold Iron, Star Steel, Nightmare Silver, and Diamond Sand would also do. Eighteen thousand pounds of each should be enough. Payment would be expected with delivery of goods." Naruto looked at her with an amused gaze. She clearly did not bring any gold or silver, so he named an astronomical price! This price, even for a country, was gigantic.

These were the items the sword spirit told him were necessary for leveling up. And now he brought the whole thing out as the price, giving the young lady a severe shock!

Even though her perseverance was more than that of an average person and her mind was firm… but meeting this guy's lion mouth, she could not control her anger.

Even that dead face Zoro who was screaming about not selling these four divine weapons was now speechless with wide gaping mouth.

With that kind of pricing the term "highway robbery" would not even fit. It was more like killing and taking an entire country's treasury…

"You don't want to sell, right?" those two eyes clear as autumn water now turned cold and looked at Naruto. But she was really speaking out the words in Zoro's mind.

Naruto smiled and took out a glistening gold bar; after that, he grabbed the sword… He threw the gold bar on the table and swung the sword down.

With a "pow", it was as if a sharp knife cut through a piece of tofu.

As the young lady stared in disbelief, a gold bar turned into more than a dozen gold leaves in just a few seconds. The table was spangled with their golden radiance.

After that, Naruto reached out his right hand and grasped for a large steel block of about a few hundred pounds. It was originally standing next to the door, but now it has reached the side of his foot… He brought pointed the long sword down, tip first, above the steel block and gently dropped it. The sword fell down with the tip piercing straight through the block.

Sloooosh!

The long sword quietly pierced deep into the steel block, burying about half of the blade! Leaving only about a foot of the blade shaking slightly in the bright sunlight that came into the room, and shining with a soft luster.

A look of shock was exposed in the young lady's eyes.

"Is it worth the price?" Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest and smiled as he asked.

The young lady stared at the sword, her eyes flashed with eagerness.

It was true that Iron Cloud currently lacked divine weapons… but she absolutely did not expect that at this moment, in front of her very eyes, there appeared such a kind of weapon that only existed in legends!

Heavenly Armament Pavilion! It truly deserved the name "Heavenly Armament"!

"Worth the price! A divine sword like that is truly a priceless treasure. No matter how much money there is, it would still be difficult to buy it!" A voice suddenly rang out like thunder. With that voice was a stately figure that suddenly appeared behind the young lady.

The moment that voice sounded, both Naruto and Zoro looked at each other in shock! This was because they did not expect that their senses were not able to detect when the person had arrived. In that case, did it not mean that this person's cultivation was at least beyond Martial Great Master?

This person was brawny with a square face. His eyes were calm but extremely sharp. His brows were large and thick. His mouth was wide, and his nose was lion-like. On his jawline was a three-part, black beard that slightly swung back and forth. He simply stood there with his wide shoulders, giving one the sense that he was carrying the world on them!

His body emitted a powerful aura that was enough to send thousands of soldiers running!

Without needing an introduction, Naruto and Zoro immediately recognized this man!

In this entire Lower Three Heavens, besides the number one famed general, Toshiro, no other individual could have such a powerful air like this! And only Toshiro could stand as he please and give the feeling of an impregnable fortress, like a thousand miles of endless mountains that armies would even avoid!

The head of Iron Cloud's military! One of the two pillars that held up the heavens for Iron Cloud Nation. A saint of war in the Nine Heavens continents, Toshiro!

At this time, Naruto finally understood why a busy street suddenly became extremely quiet, abnormally quiet. So, since who knows when, a team of elite soldiers in disguise had strictly kept the entire street separated from the rest of the citadel!

An entire long, crowded, noisy street was currently quiet to the point a pin drop could be heard!

At the main door of Heavenly Armament Pavilion, two people stood emotionless on each side watching the situation inside. Even though he could not discover anything further, Naruto was sure that the back door and the roof also had people. Moreover, masters!

"It really is a good sword!" Toshiro's sharp, cold gaze glanced at the swaying sword on the steel block and said loudly. After that, he immediately turned and looked at the young lady. Unexpectedly, his expression became soft and completely different from earlier, "Why did you come here?"

After that, he asked more specifically, "Why did you come here alone?"

"I just wanted to see." The young lady calmly smiled, "This Heavenly Armament Pavilion, I was really curious about it."

"Where are your bodyguards?" Toshiro's thick eyebrows pinched together. The coldness in his eyes rose up dangerously, "How do those bastards do their work?! I cannot believe they dared let you go out by yourself like this! Wait till I get back; I will chop them up and feed them to the dogs!"

"I snuck out. It has nothing to do with them." The young lady slightly shook Toshiro shoulder, pleading, "Second uncle, I only have this one little secret left, only this one way to relax a bit…"

Toshiro sighed, and looked at the young lady with affection and sorrow. He seemed to have let the issue go as he turned to Naruto, "Damn little man, these two swords and two sabers, I will buy!"

Naruto hesitated, then asked "What are you buying them with?"

"Of course I will not buy them with gold." Toshiro's eyes narrowed as he squeezed out each word, "Buying it with your life, would this price be enough?"


End file.
